8-hydroxy quinoline derivatives for enhancing telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression

ABSTRACT

8-Hydroxy quinoline derivative compounds for enhancing telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression, and methods for using the same, are provided. These compounds and methods find use in a variety of applications in which increased expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase is desired.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e), this application claims priority to the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/345,980 filed May 18, 2010; the disclosure of which application is herein incorporated by reference.

INTRODUCTION

Telomeres are regions of repetitive DNA found at the ends of the chromosomes of most eukaryotes. For example, human telomeres include many kilobases of (TTAGGG)n and are associated with various proteins. Small portions of these terminal sequences of telomeric DNA are lost from the tips of the chromosomes during the S phase of the cell cycle because of incomplete DNA replication. Many human cells progressively lose terminal sequences with cell division, a loss that correlates with the apparent absence of telomerase in these cells. The resulting telomere shortening limits cellular lifespan.

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that synthesizes telomeric DNA. Telomerase is made up of two components: (1) an essential structural RNA component (TR or TER) (in humans the component is referred to as hTR or hTER), and (2) a catalytic protein (telomerase reverse transcriptase or TERT) (in humans the component is referred to as hTERT). Telomerase works by adding multiple DNA sequence repeats to the 3′ end of DNA in the telomere region, where hTER serves as the template for nucleotide incorporation, and TERT as the catalyst. Both the catalytic protein component and the RNA template component of telomerase are activity-limiting components.

Because of its role in cellular senescence and immortalization, there is much interest in the regulation of telomerase activity.

SUMMARY

8-Hydroxy quinoline derivative compounds for enhancing expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), and methods for using the compounds, are provided. These compounds and methods find use in a variety of applications in which increased expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase is desired.

Definitions

When describing the compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds and methods of using such compounds and compositions, the following terms have the following meanings unless otherwise indicated. It should also be understood that any of the moieties defined forth below may be substituted with a variety of substituents, and that the respective definitions are intended to include such substituted moieties within their scope.

“Acyl” refers to a —C(O)R group, where R is hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, amino cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, heteroalkenyl, or heteroaryl as defined herein. Representative examples include, but are not limited to, formyl, acetyl, cyclohexylcarbonyl, cyclohexylmethylcarbonyl, benzoyl, benzylcarbonyl and the like.

“Acylamino” refers to a —NR′C(O)R group, where R′ is hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl and R is hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroaryl or heteroarylalkyl, as defined herein. Representative examples include, but are not limited to, formylamino, acetylamino, cyclohexylcarbonylamino, cyclohexylmethyl-carbonylamino, benzoylamino, benzylcarbonylamino and the like.

“Acyloxy” refers to the group —OC(O)H, —OC(O)-alkyl, —OC(O)-aryl or —OC(O)— cycloalkyl.

“Aliphatic” refers to hydrocarbyl organic compounds or groups characterized by a straight, branched or cyclic arrangement of the constituent carbon atoms and an absence of aromatic unsaturation. Aliphatics include, without limitation, alkyl, alkylene, alkenyl, alkynyl and alkynylene. Lower aliphatic groups typically have from 1 or 2 to 6 or 12 carbon atoms.

“Alkenyl” refers to monovalent olefinically unsaturated hydrocarbyl groups having up to about 11 carbon atoms, such as from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, and including from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, which can be straight-chained or branched and having at least 1 and including from 1 to 2 sites of olefinic unsaturation. Particular alkenyl groups include ethenyl (—CH═CH₂), n-propenyl (—CH₂CH═CH₂), isopropenyl (—C(CH₃)═CH₂), vinyl and substituted vinyl, and the like.

“Alkoxy” refers to the group —O-alkyl. Particular alkoxy groups include, by way of example, methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, isopropoxy, n-butoxy, tert-butoxy, sec-butoxy, n-pentoxy, n-hexoxy, 1,2-dimethylbutoxy, and the like.

“Alkoxycarbonyl” refers to a radical —C(O)-alkoxy where alkoxy is as defined herein.

“Alkoxycarbonylamino” refers to the group —NRC(O)OR′ where R is hydrogen, alkyl, aryl or cycloalkyl, and R′ is alkyl or cycloalkyl.

“Alkyl” refers to monovalent saturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl groups particularly having up to about 12 or 18 carbon atoms, more particularly as a lower alkyl, from 1 to 8 carbon atoms and still more particularly, from 1 to 6 carbon atoms. The hydrocarbon chain may be either straight-chained or branched. This term is exemplified by groups such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, iso-butyl, ten-butyl, n-hexyl, n-octyl, ten-octyl and the like. The term “alkyl” also includes “cycloalkyls” as defined herein.

“Alkylene” refers to divalent saturated aliphatic hydrocarbyl groups particularly having up to about 12 or 18 carbon atoms and more particularly 1 to 6 carbon atoms which can be straight-chained or branched. This term is exemplified by groups such as methylene (—CH₂—), ethylene (—CH₂CH₂—), the propylene isomers (e.g., —CH₂CH₂CH₂— and —CH(CH₃)CH₂—) and the like.

“Alkynyl” refers to acetylenically unsaturated hydrocarbyl groups particularly having up to about 12 or 18 carbon atoms and more particularly 2 to 6 carbon atoms which can be straight-chained or branched and having at least 1 and particularly from 1 to 2 sites of alkynyl unsaturation. Particular non-limiting examples of alkynyl groups include acetylenic, ethynyl (—C≡CH), propargyl (—CH₂C≡CH), and the like.

“Amino” refers to the group —NH₂ and substituted derivatives thereof. “Amino” includes those groups recited in the definition of “substituted” herein, and particularly refers to the group —N(R)₂ where each R is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, and where both R groups are joined to form an alkylene group.

“Aminocarbonyl” refers to the group —C(O)NRR where each R is independently hydrogen, alkyl, aryl or cycloalkyl, or where the R groups are joined to form an alkylene group.

“Aminocarbonylamino” refers to the group —NRC(O)NRR where each R is independently hydrogen, alkyl, aryl or cycloalkyl, or where two R groups are joined to form an alkylene group.

“Aminocarbonyloxy” refers to the group —OC(O)NRR where each R is independently hydrogen, alkyl, aryl or cycloalkyl, or where the R groups are joined to form an alkylene group.

“Aralkyl” or “arylalkyl” refers to an alkyl group, as defined above, substituted with one or more aryl groups, as defined above.

“Aryl” refers to a monovalent aromatic hydrocarbon group derived by the removal of one hydrogen atom from a single carbon atom of a parent aromatic ring system. Typical aryl groups include, but are not limited to, groups derived from aceanthrylene, acenaphthylene, acephenanthrylene, anthracene, azulene, benzene, chrysene, coronene, fluoranthene, fluorene, hexacene, hexaphene, hexalene, as-indacene, s-indacene, indane, indene, naphthalene, octacene, octaphene, octalene, ovalene, penta-2,4-diene, pentacene, pentalene, pentaphene, perylene, phenalene, phenanthrene, picene, pleiadene, pyrene, pyranthrene, rubicene, triphenylene, trinaphthalene and the like. In some cases, an aryl group includes from 6 to 14 carbon atoms.

“Aryloxy” refers to —O-aryl groups wherein “aryl” is as defined herein.

“Azido” refers to a —N₃ group.

“Carbonyl” refers to —C(O)— groups, for example, a carboxy, an amido, an ester, a ketone, or an acyl substituent.

“Carboxyl” refers to a —C(O)OH group

“Cyano” refers to a —CN group.

“Cycloalkenyl” refers to cyclic hydrocarbyl groups having from 3 to 10 carbon atoms and having a single cyclic ring or multiple condensed rings, including fused and bridged ring systems and having at least one and particularly from 1 to 2 sites of olefinic unsaturation. Such cycloalkenyl groups include, by way of example, single ring structures such as cyclohexenyl, cyclopentenyl, cyclopropenyl, and the like.

“Cycloalkyl” refers to cyclic hydrocarbyl groups having from 3 to about 10 carbon atoms and having a single cyclic ring or multiple condensed rings, including fused and bridged ring systems, which optionally can be substituted with from 1 to 3 alkyl groups. Such cycloalkyl groups include, by way of example, single ring structures such as cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclooctyl, 1-methylcyclopropyl, 2-methylcyclopentyl, 2-methylcyclooctyl, and the like, and multiple ring structures such as adamantanyl, and the like.

“Heterocycloalkyl” refers to a stable heterocyclic non-aromatic ring and fused rings containing one or more heteroatoms independently selected from N, O and S. A fused heterocyclic ring system may include carbocyclic rings and need only include one heterocyclic ring. Examples of heterocyclic rings include, but are not limited to, piperazinyl, homopiperazinyl, piperidinyl and morpholinyl.

“Halogen” or “halo” refers to fluoro, chloro, bromo and iodo.

“Hetero” when used to describe a compound or a group present on a compound means that one or more carbon atoms in the compound or group have been replaced by, for example, a nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur heteroatom. Hetero may be applied to any of the hydrocarbyl groups described above such as alkyl, e.g. heteroalkyl, cycloalkyl, e.g. heterocycloalkyl, aryl, e.g. heteroaryl, cycloalkenyl, e.g., heterocycloalkenyl, cycloheteroalkenyl, e.g., heterocycloheteroalkenyl and the like having from 1 to 5, and particularly from 1 to 3 heteroatoms. A heteroatom is any atom other than carbon or hydrogen and is typically, but not exclusively, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus, boron, chlorine, bromine, or iodine.

“Heteroaryl” refers to a monovalent heteroaromatic group derived by the removal of one hydrogen atom from a single atom of a parent heteroaromatic ring system. Typical heteroaryl groups include, but are not limited to, groups derived from acridine, arsindole, carbazole, β-carboline, chromane, chromene, cinnoline, furan, imidazole, indazole, indole, indoline, indolizine, isobenzofuran, isochromene, isoindole, isoindoline, isoquinoline, isothiazole, isoxazole, naphthyridine, oxadiazole, oxazole, perimidine, phenanthridine, phenanthroline, phenazine, phthalazine, pteridine, purine, pyran, pyrazine, pyrazole, pyridazine, pyridine, pyrimidine, pyrrole, pyrrolizine, quinazoline, quinoline, quinolizine, quinoxaline, tetrazole, thiadiazole, thiazole, thiophene, triazole, xanthene, and the like. The heteroaryl group can be a 5-20 membered heteroaryl, or 5-10 membered heteroaryl. Particular heteroaryl groups are those derived from thiophen, pyrrole, benzothiophene, benzofuran, indole, pyridine, quinoline, imidazole, oxazole and pyrazine.

“Heterocycle” refers to organic compounds that contain a ring structure containing atoms in addition to carbon, such as sulfur, oxygen or nitrogen, as part of the ring. They may be either simple aromatic rings or non-aromatic rings. Examples include azoles, morpholine, piperazine, pyridine, pyrimidine and dioxane. The maximum number of heteroatoms in a stable, chemically feasible heterocyclic ring, whether it is aromatic or non aromatic, is determined by factors such as, the size of the ring, the degree of unsaturation and the valence of the heteroatoms. In general, a heterocyclic ring may have one to four heteroatoms so long as the heteroaromatic ring is chemically feasible and stable.

“Hydroxyl” refers to a —OH group.

“Linker”, for example L¹, L² and L³, as used in the structures herein, refers to a linking moiety of up to about 20 atoms in length. A tether may be a single bond or a chain of from about 1 to about 20 atoms in length, for example of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 or 20 carbon atoms in length, where the linker backbone is optionally substituted with a sulfur, nitrogen or oxygen heteroatom, which linker may comprise one, two, three, five, seven or more backbone heteroatoms. The bonds between backbone atoms may be saturated or unsaturated, usually not more than one, two, or three unsaturated bonds will be present in a linker backbone. Each of the backbone atoms may be substituted or unsubstituted, for example with an alkyl, aryl or alkenyl group. A linker may include, without limitations, oligo(ethylene glycol); ethers, thioethers, tertiary amines, alkyls, which may be straight or branched, e.g., methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, 1-methylethyl (iso-propyl), n-butyl, n-pentyl, 1,1-dimethylethyl (t-butyl), and the like. The linker backbone may include a cyclic group, for example, an aryl, a heterocycle or a cycloalkyl group, where 2 or more atoms, e.g., 2, 3 or 4 atoms, of the cyclic group are included in the backbone.

“Nitro” refers to a —NO₂ group.

“Scaffold” refers to a molecular scaffold or core structure. For example, a scaffold may form the basis for a small molecule library where one or more substituents connected to the scaffold are variable.

“Stereoisomer” as it relates to a given compound refers to another compound having the same molecular formula, wherein the atoms making up the other compound differ in the way they are oriented in space, but wherein the atoms in the other compound are like the atoms in the given compound with respect to which atoms are joined to which other atoms (e.g. an enantiomer, a diastereomer, or a geometric isomer). See for example, Morrison and Boyd, Organic Chemistry, 1983, 4th ed., Allyn and Bacon, Inc., Boston, Mass., p. 123.

“Substituted” refers to a group in which one or more hydrogen atoms are each independently replaced with the same or different substituent(s). “Substituted” groups particularly refer to groups having 1 or more substituents, for instance from 1 to 5 substituents, and particularly from 1 to 3 substituents, selected from the group consisting of acyl, acylamino, acyloxy, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, alkoxycarbonyl, alkoxycarbonylamino, amino, substituted amino, aminocarbonyl, aminocarbonylamino, aminocarbonyloxy, aryl, aryloxy, azido, carboxyl, cyano, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, halogen, hydroxyl, keto, nitro, thioalkoxy, substituted thioalkoxy, thioaryloxy, thioketo, thiol, alkyl-S(O)—, aryl-S(O)—, alkyl-S(O)₂— and aryl-S(O)₂. Substituents of interest may include, but are not limited to, —X, —R⁸ (with the proviso that R⁸ is not hydrogen), —O—, ═O, —OR⁸, —SR⁸, —S⁻, ═S, —NR⁸R⁹, ═NR⁸, —CX₃, —CF₃, —CN, —OCN, —SCN, —NO, —NO₂, ═N₂, —N₃, —S(O)₂O⁻, —S(O)₂OH, —S(O)₂R⁸, —OS(O₂)O⁻, —OS(O)₂R⁸, —P(O)(O—)₂, —P(O)(OR⁸)(O⁻), —OP(O)(OR⁸)(OR⁹), —C(O)R⁸, —C(S)R⁸, —C(O)OR⁸, —C(O)NR⁸R⁹, —C(O)O⁻, —C(S)OR⁸, —NR¹⁰C(O)NR⁸R⁹, vNR¹⁰C(S)NR⁸R⁹, —NR¹¹C(NR¹⁰)NR⁸R⁹ and —C(NR¹⁰)NR⁸R⁹, where each X is independently a halogen.

“Sulfonyl” refers to the group —SO₂—. Sulfonyl includes, for example, methyl-SO₂—, phenyl-SO₂—, and alkylamino-SO₂—.

“Sulfinyl” refers to the group —S(O)—.

“Thioalkoxy” refers to the group —S-alkyl.

“Thioaryloxy” refers to the group —S-aryl.

“Thioketo” refers to the group ═S.

“Thiol” refers to the group —SH.

“Thio” refers to the group —S—. Thio includes, for example, thioalkoxy, thioaryloxy, thioketo and thiol.

As to any of the groups disclosed herein which contain one or more substituents, it is understood, of course, that such groups do not contain any substitution or substitution patterns which are sterically impractical and/or synthetically non-feasible. In addition, the subject compounds include all stereochemical isomers arising from the substitution of these compounds.

The term “pharmaceutically acceptable salt” means a salt which is acceptable for administration to a patient, such as a mammal (e.g., salts having acceptable mammalian safety for a given dosage regime). Such salts can be derived from pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic or organic bases and from pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic or organic acids. “Pharmaceutically acceptable salt” refers to pharmaceutically acceptable salts of a compound, which salts are derived from a variety of organic and inorganic counter ions well known in the art and include, by way of example only, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, ammonium, tetraalkylammonium, and the like; and when the molecule contains a basic functionality, salts of organic or inorganic acids, such as hydrochloride, hydrobromide, tartrate, mesylate, acetate, maleate, oxalate, and the like.

The term “salt thereof” means a compound formed when the hydrogen of an acid is replaced by a cation, such as a metal cation or an organic cation and the like. Where applicable, the salt is a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, although this is not required for salts of intermediate compounds that are not intended for administration to a patient.

“Solvate” refers to a complex formed by combination of solvent molecules with molecules or ions of the solute. The solvent can be an organic compound, an inorganic compound, or a mixture of both. Some examples of solvents include, but are not limited to, methanol, N,N-dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, dimethylsulfoxide, and water. When the solvent is water, the solvate formed is a hydrate.

“Stereoisomer” and “stereoisomers” refer to compounds that have same atomic connectivity but different atomic arrangement in space. Stereoisomers include cis-trans isomers, E and Z isomers, enantiomers, and diastereoisomers.

“Tautomer” refers to alternate forms of a molecule that differ only in electronic bonding of atoms and/or in the position of a proton, such as enol-keto and imine-enamine tautomers, or the tautomeric forms of heteroaryl groups containing a —N═C(H)—NH— ring atom arrangement, such as pyrazoles, imidazoles, benzimidazoles, triazoles, and tetrazoles. A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that other tautomeric ring atom arrangements are possible.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

8-Hydroxy quinoline derivative compounds for enhancing expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), and methods for using the compounds, are provided. These compounds and methods find use in a variety of applications in which increased expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase is desired.

Before particular embodiments are described in greater detail, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described, as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges and are also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the invention.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, representative illustrative methods and materials are now described.

All publications and patents cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication or patent were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference and are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the methods and/or materials in connection with which the publications are cited. The citation of any publication is for its disclosure prior to the filing date and should not be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention. Further, the dates of publication provided may be different from the actual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed.

It is noted that, as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is further noted that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element. As such, this statement is intended to serve as antecedent basis for use of such exclusive terminology as “solely,” “only” and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements, or use of a “negative” limitation.

Each of the individual embodiments described and illustrated herein has discrete components and features which may be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other several embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. Any recited method can be carried out in the order of events recited or in any other order which is logically possible.

In further describing the various aspects of the invention, the function and structure of various TERT expression enhancing compounds are described first in greater detail, followed by a description of methods and applications in which the compounds finds use.

TERT Expression Enhancing Compounds

As summarized above, aspects of the invention include TERT expression enhancing compounds. The TERT expression enhancing compounds are compounds that increase TERT expression in a cell upon contact with a cell or components thereof. In some instances, the types of cells in which the compounds of the invention exhibit activity are ones that include a TERT gene containing a Site C site in its promoter region, e.g., in the TERT gene minimal promoter. By increasing TERT expression is meant that the expression level of the TERT encoding mRNA is increased by 2-fold or more, such as by 5-fold or more and sometimes by 25-, 50-, or 100-fold or more and in certain embodiments 300-fold or more or higher, as compared to a control, i.e., expression in a comparable cell (such as a clone, cell from the same tissue, etc.) not contacted with the compound of interest (e.g., by using the assay described in Published United States Patent Application Publication No. US-2006-0199171-A1, the disclosure of which assay is herein incorporated by reference). Alternatively, in cases where expression of the TERT gene in a cell is so low that it is undetectable, the expression level of the TERT encoding mRNA is considered to be increased if expression is increased to a level that is easily detectable, e.g., by using the assay described in Published United States Patent Application Publication No. US-2006-0199171-A1, the disclosure of which assay is herein incorporated by reference.

In certain embodiments, the target cell in which TERT expression is increased is a normal cell, e.g., a somatic cell. In some of these embodiments, the compounds of the invention are used to increase the proliferative capacity of a cell. The term “proliferative capacity” as used herein refers to the number of divisions that a cell can undergo, and in some instances to the ability of the target cell to continue to divide where the daughter cells of such divisions are not transformed, i.e., they maintain normal response to growth and cell cycle regulation. As such, the compounds of the invention may find use in the delay of the occurrence of cellular senescence, among other applications. The compounds of the invention may delay the onset of cellular senescence by a factor of 1.2 or more, such as 2-fold or more, including 5-fold or more where in certain embodiments the delay is even greater, e.g., 10-, 20-, 50-fold or more or even higher, compared to a control.

In certain embodiments, the compounds of the invention modulate the interaction of a transcriptional repressor complex and a Site C site in the TERT promoter. By transcriptional repressor complex is meant a complex containing at least one factor (e.g., protein), wherein the complex binds specifically to a Site C site in the TERT promoter. For example, the transcriptional repressor complex can be a single protein that binds specifically to the Site C site in the TERT promoter (or minimal promoter). In contrast, the transcriptional repressor complex can contain a number of factors (e.g., proteins) that together bind specifically to the Site C site in the TERT promoter. In general, binding of the transcriptional repressor complex to a Site C site in the TERT promoter represses or reduces transcription of the TERT gene.

In certain embodiments, modulating the interaction of a transcriptional repressor complex and a Site C site means that the interaction is inhibited or reduced. In certain of these embodiments, the mechanism of activity of the compounds is by specific, direct interaction with the transcriptional repressor protein complex thereby preventing its binding to Site C in the TERT promoter. In certain embodiments, the binding of the compound to the transcriptional repressor complex competitively inhibits Site C DNA binding (meaning that the compound binds to the DNA-binding site of the transcriptional repressor complex) while in other embodiments the compound allosterically inhibits Site C DNA binding of the transcriptional repressor (meaning that it binds to a site other than to the DNA binding site of the transcriptional repressor). In certain embodiments, the compound binds to a member of the transcriptional repressor complex other than the DNA binding subunit to exert its inhibitory activity.

In certain embodiments, the compounds of the present invention reduce the repressive activity of a TERT transcriptional repressor complex of one or more factors (e.g., proteins), e.g., by inhibiting the binding of a transcriptional repressor to its cognate DNA binding site in the TERT minimal promoter. Of particular interest is the Site C DNA binding site within the −66 to −51 region of the TERT minimal promoter. This repressor site has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,686,159, which is incorporated herein by reference. In certain embodiments, the Site C sequence is: GGCCCCGCCCTCTCCTCGCGGCGCGAGTTTCAGGCAGCGCT (SEQ ID NO:1) In certain embodiments, the target Site C sequence is a portion or subsequence of the above sequence, such as: GGCGCGAGTTTCA (SEQ ID NO:2); CGCGAGTTTC (SEQ ID NO:3); or GGCGCGAGTTTCAGGCAGCGC (SEQ ID NO:4).

Site C-binding transcriptional repressor complexes of interest include those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/088,001 filed on Mar. 22, 2005 entitled “Methods and Compositions for Modulating Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT) Expression”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. As described therein, transcriptional repressor complexes that bind to Site C site include any known or later discovered members of LSF family including any homolog or any protein or polypeptide with at least 50%, at least 70%, or at least 90% of its amino acids identical to a member of LSF family, especially within its functional regions, e.g., its DNA binding domain or regions involved in protein-protein interaction. In general, LSF family is a family of proteins related to mammalian transcription factor LSF. Members of LSF family usually include LBP1a, LBP1b, LBP1c, LBP1d, LBP9, LBP32v1, LBP32v2, SOMv1, SOMv2, SOMv3, and BOM. LBP1d is a splice variant of LBP1c while LBP1a is a splice variant of LBP1b. In addition, members the LSF family also include a splice variant of LBP1c, called LBP1c2, and a variant of BOM, called BOMv2, as well as any protein or polypeptide capable of binding to or interacting with one or more members related to LSF, e.g., YY1, NF-E4, Fe65, APP-CT, NFPB, and SP1.

In certain embodiments, the compounds of the invention increase the amount of telomerase expression from a level that is so low as to be undetectable to a level that is easily detectable, as determined by a quantitative RT-PCR assay, e.g., by an assay that determines the number of hTERT mRNA transcripts present in a cell after treatment with a compound of the invention, by measuring the Cycle Threshold value (C_(t), a measure of the number of PCR cycles that are required to amplify a target cDNA) and correlating it to the number of hTERT mRNA transcripts present. In certain embodiments, the compounds of the invention may increase the number of hTERT mRNA transcripts per cell to a detectable level of 1 or more, such as 2 or more, 3 or more, 10 or more, 25 or more, 50 or more, 100 or more, 200 or more, 300 or more, 500 or more, or even higher.

In certain embodiments, the compounds of the invention have no significant effect of the viability of a cell, as determined by a cell viability assay, e.g., as determined by administering a compound of the invention to a cell and determining the number of viable cells in culture using a homogeneous method, such as the CellTiter-Glo® Luminescent Cell Viability Assay (Promega Corporation, Madison, Wis.). The compounds of the invention may exhibit a % cell viability, as compared to a control (e.g., a DMSO control), of 15% or more, such as 20% or more, 30% or more, 40% or more, 50% or more, 60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more, 90% or more, 100% or more, 120% or more, or even higher.

Structural Features

As summarized above, aspects of the invention include TERT expression enhancing compounds, such as 8-hydroxyquinoline derivative compounds.

In certain embodiments, the compounds are quinolines, e.g., quinoline compounds substituted with one or more substituents such as a hydroxyl. Substituent bonds to the quinoline may be to the carbons of the quinoline scaffold (I)

In another embodiment, the substituent on the 8-position of the quinoline core structure is a hydroxyl group. In another embodiment, the bonds may be to the 5-, 7-, and 8-positions of the quinoline scaffold⋅(I). In related embodiments, the bonds may be to the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-positions; the 2-, 5-, 6-, 7- and 8-positions; the 2-, 5-, 7- and 8-positions; the 2-, 4-, 5-, 6-, 7- and 8-positions; the 2-, 4- and 8-positions; the 2- and 8-positions; 4-, 7- and 8-positions; the 5- and 8-positions; the 7- and 8-positions; the 5-, 6- and 8-positions; the 2-, 3- and 8-positions; or the 3-, 5-, 7- and 8-positions of the quinoline scaffold (I). In another embodiment, the substituent on the 8-position of the quinoline core structure is a hydroxyl group and the substituent on the 5- and/or 7-position is a halogen.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is described by the structure of one of the 8-hydroxyquinoline derivative compounds of Barnham et al. (Publication No. WO 2004/007461 A1), the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is not a polymeric molecule, e.g., a nucleic acid such as RNA, DNA or polynucleotide analog; a peptide, e.g., protein or fragment thereof, etc. In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is not an hTERT expression regulatory RNA, e.g., an RNA with a base sequence complimentary to a target gene or gene expression vector.

In certain embodiments, a substituent may contribute to optical isomerism and/or stereo isomerism of a compound. Salts, solvates, hydrates, and prodrug forms of a compound are also of interest. All such forms are embraced by the present invention. Thus the compounds described herein include salts, solvates, hydrates, prodrug and isomer forms thereof, including the pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates, hydrates, prodrugs and isomers thereof. In certain embodiments, a compound may be a metabolized into a pharmaceutically active derivative.

The following are examples of compounds of the invention.

One embodiment provides a use of a compound having the structure of formula (II):

where R¹, R², R³, R⁴, R⁵, R⁶ and R⁷ are independently selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy, an amino, a carbonyl, a cyano, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a nitro, a thio, a sulfinyl and a sulfonyl.

One embodiment provides a use of a compound of the structure of Formula (II) where R¹ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, a carbonyloxy and an acyloxy.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), at least two of R², R³, R⁴, R⁵, R⁶ and R⁷ are not hydrogen. In related embodiments, in formula (II), at least three of R², R³, R⁴, R⁵, R⁶ and R⁷ are not hydrogen.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), two of R¹, R², R³, R⁴, R⁵, R⁶ and R⁷ that are adjacent to each other on the quinoline scaffold may be cyclically linked. For example, in some cases, R¹ and R² may be cyclically linked. For example, in some cases, R⁶ and R⁷ may be cyclically linked. For example, in some cases, R³ and R⁴ may be cyclically linked.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R¹ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar or sugar derivative.

In particular embodiments, in formula (II), R¹ is hydroxyl.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R² is selected from hydrogen, an alkyl, an alkylaminocarbonyl, an amino, an aryl, an arylalkyl, an arylalkenyl, an acylamino, an aminosulfonyl, an azole, a carboxyamide, a carboxy and a heterocycle.

In particular embodiments, in formula (II), R² is selected from hydrogen, a lower alkyl, an acetylamino, an aminoalkyl, —NH₂, —CONH₂, —CO₂H, —SO₃H, cyano, tert-butyl, a heterocyclylalkylaminocarbonyl, a heterocyclylaminocarbonyl, a heterocyclylamino, an arylaminocarbonyl, an imidazolyl, a hydrazone, an oxime, a phenyl, a pyridyl, a pyrazolyl, a triazolyl, a thiourea and an urea.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R³ is selected from hydrogen, an aryl, a halogen and an amino.

In particular embodiments, in formula (II), R³ is selected from hydrogen, —NH₂ and chloro.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R⁴ is selected from hydrogen, an aminoalkyl, an alkoxyalkyl, an alkoxy, an alkylamino, an acylamino, a sulfonylamino, a halogen, nitro, a heterocyclyl-alkyl, an aryl, a sulfonyl, a lower alkyl and a heterocycle.

In particular embodiments, in formula (II), R⁴ is selected from (5H-furan-2-onyl)-ethyl, an acetylamino, an arylsulfonylamino, a benzyloxymethylene, bromo, chloro, fluoro, iodo, a lower alkoxy, a lower alkylamino, a lower-alkoxymethylene, a methyl, a N,N-(di-lower alkyl)aminomethylene, —NH₂, nitro, a N-phenyl-piperidinyl-methylene, a phenyl, a pyridyl and sulfonic acid.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R⁵ is selected from hydrogen, a hydroxyl and an aryl.

In particular embodiments, in formula (II), R⁵ is selected from hydrogen, hydroxyl and a phenyl.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R⁶ is selected from hydrogen, an amino, an aryl and a halogen.

In particular embodiments, in formula (II), R⁶ is selected from hydrogen, —NH₂ and chloro.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R⁷ is selected from hydrogen, an alkylaminocarbonyl, an arylaminocarbonyl, a heterocyclylaminocarbonyl a lower alkyl, an acyl, an alkenyl, an arylalkyl, an aminoalkyl, an amino, an aryl, a carbonyl, cyano, an acylamino, an acyloxy, a heteroaryl, an oxime, an O-alkyl oxime, a sulfonyl and a thiourea.

In particular embodiments, in formula (II), R⁷ is selected from hydrogen, acetylamino, an arylamino, a heteroarylamino, acetyl, an aminomethylene, —NH₂, an alkylaminomethylene, a dialkylaminomethylene, a carboxyamide, carboxy, cyano, a formaldehyde oxime or O-methyl oxime, a methyl, a phenyl, a pyrazolyl, an imidazolyl, a pyridinyl, a triazolyl, a N-(heteroarylmethylene)aminocarbonyl, a N,N-di(heteroarylalkyl)aminocarbonyl, a N-(heteroarylethylene)aminocarbonyl, an alkylaminosulfonyl, tert-butyl, a phenylaminocarbonyl and a heteroarylaminocarbonyl.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R¹ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar or sugar derivative;

R², R³ and R⁴ are hydrogen; and

R⁵, R⁶, and R⁷ are as defined above, with the proviso that none of R⁵, R⁶, and R⁷ are hydrogen.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R′ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar or sugar derivative;

R⁵, R⁶ and R⁷ are hydrogen; and

R², R³, and R⁴ are as defined above, with the proviso that none of R², R³, and R⁴ are hydrogen.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R′ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar or sugar derivative;

R³, R⁵ and R⁶ are hydrogen; and

R², R⁴ and R⁷ are as defined above, with the proviso that none of R², R⁴ and R⁷ are hydrogen.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R′ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar or sugar derivative;

R³, R⁵, R⁶ and R⁷ are hydrogen; and

R² and R⁴ are as defined above, with the proviso that none of R² and R⁴ are hydrogen.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R¹ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar or sugar derivative;

R⁵ and R⁶ are hydrogen; and

R², R³, R⁴ and R⁷ are as defined above, with the proviso that none of R², R³, R⁴ and R⁷ are hydrogen.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R¹ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar or sugar derivative;

R³ and R⁶ are hydrogen; and

R², R⁴, R⁵ and R⁷ are as defined above, with the proviso that none of R², R⁴, R⁵ and R⁷ are hydrogen.

In related embodiments, in formula (II), R¹ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar or sugar derivative;

R², R³, R⁴ and R⁶ are hydrogen; and

R⁵ and R⁷ are as defined above, with the proviso that none of R⁵ and R⁷ are hydrogen.

One embodiment provides a use of a compound having the structure of formula (III):

where R⁸ is hydrogen, an alkyl, an aryl, an acyl, a sugar or a sugar derivative;

R⁹, R¹⁰, and R′¹ are independently selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy, an amino, a carbonyl, a cyano, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a nitro, a thio, a sulfinyl and a sulfonyl; and

at least two of R⁹, R¹⁰ and R¹¹ are not hydrogen.

In related embodiments, in formula (III), R⁸ is hydrogen.

In related embodiments, in formula (III), R⁹, R¹⁰, and R¹¹ are independently selected from hydrogen, an alkyl, an alkoxy, an amino, a halogen, a hydroxyl, a thio, a cyano and a nitro.

In related embodiments, in formula (III), R⁸ and R⁹ are independently an alkyl, R¹⁰ is hydrogen and R¹¹ is a halogen, where optionally R⁸ and R⁹ may be cyclically linked.

In related embodiments, in formula (III), R⁹, R¹⁰, and R¹¹ are independently selected from hydrogen, a halogen, a trifluoromethyl, an alkoxy, a cyano and a nitro.

In related embodiments, in formula (III), any of R⁹, R¹⁰, and R^(n) are independently selected from hydrogen, a fluoro, a chloro, a bromo, an iodo and a trifluoromethyl.

One embodiment provides a use of a compound having the structure of formula (IV):

where R¹², R¹³, R¹⁴ and R¹⁵ are independently selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy, an amino, a carbonyl, a cyano, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a nitro, a thio, a sulfinyl and a sulfonyl; and at least two of R¹², R¹³, R¹⁴ and R¹⁵ are not hydrogen.

In related embodiments, in formula (IV), R¹², R¹³, R¹⁴ and R¹⁵ are independently selected from hydrogen, an alkyl, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an amino, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a thio, a cyano and a nitro.

In related embodiments, in formula (IV), R¹², R¹³ and R¹⁴ are independently selected from hydrogen, fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo and trifluoromethyl; and

R¹⁵ is hydrogen, an alkyl, an aryl or a heterocycle.

In certain embodiments, a compound is of the structure of formula (IV), where R¹³ is hydrogen; and

R¹², R¹⁴ and R¹⁵ are independently selected from hydrogen, a halogen, a nitro, an aliphatic, an aryl, a heterocycle, a carbonyl and an amino. In some cases, one or more of R¹², R¹⁴ and R¹⁵ are independently an alkyl, for example an oxymethylene (e.g., —CH(R¹⁰²)—OR¹⁰³) or an aminomethylene (e.g., —CH(R¹⁰⁴)—N(R¹⁰⁵)R¹⁰⁶), where R¹⁰², R¹⁰³, R¹⁰⁴, R¹⁰⁵ and R¹⁰⁶ are independently selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, a heterocycle, a carbonyl and a sulfonyl, where optionally R¹⁰⁵ and R¹⁰⁶ may be cyclically linked.

In particular embodiments, in formula (IV), R¹³ is hydrogen, and R¹² and R¹⁴ are independently a halogen (e.g., iodo, bromo or chloro). In particular embodiments, in formula (IV), R¹³ is hydrogen, R¹⁴ is chloro and R¹² is bromo.

In certain embodiments, in formula (IV), R¹² and R¹⁴ are independently selected from hydrogen, a halogen, a protected amino (e.g., —NH—R¹⁰⁷, where R¹⁰⁷ is an amino protecting group), an arylsulfonyl (ArSO₂—), and an aminomethylene (e.g., —CH(R¹⁰⁴)N(R¹⁰⁵)R¹⁰⁶), where R¹⁰⁴, R¹⁰⁵ and R¹⁰⁶ are defined above). In particular embodiments, in formula (IV), R¹⁴ is a tosylamino (e.g., —NH-Ts), and R¹² is selected from hydrogen, a halogen, and an arylsulfonyl (e.g., 4-(CH₃)-PhSO₂—). In particular embodiments, in formula (IV), R¹² is hydrogen and R¹⁴ is an aminomethylene (e.g., —CH(R¹⁰⁴)N(R¹⁰⁷)R¹⁰⁸, where R¹⁰⁴ is as defined above and R¹⁰⁷ and R¹⁰⁸ are independently selected from hydrogen, a lower alkyl and a branched lower alkyl).

In certain embodiments a compound is of the structure of formula (V):

where R²³ and R²⁴ are independently selected from hydrogen, a hydroxyl, a halogen, an aliphatic, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, a carbonyl, an aryl, a heterocycle, an amino, a thiol, a cyano, a nitro, a sulfonyl and a sulfinyl;

R¹⁹ is hydrogen, an alkyl, an aryl, an acyl, a sugar or a sugar derivative; and

R²⁰, R²¹ and R²² are independently selected from hydrogen, hydroxyl, a halogen, an aliphatic, a carbonyl, an aryl, a heterocycle, a sulfonyl, and a sulfinyl; where optionally R¹⁹ and R²⁰ may be cyclically linked.

In related embodiments, in formula (V), R²³ is selected from hydrogen, (5H-furan-2-onyl)-ethyl, an acetylamino, an arylsulfonylamino, a benzyloxymethylene, bromo, chloro, fluoro, iodo, a lower alkoxy, a lower alkylamino, a lower-alkoxymethylene, a methyl, a N,N-(di-lower alkyl)aminomethylene, —NH₂, nitro, a N-phenyl-piperidinyl-methylene, a phenyl, a pyridyl and sulfonic acid. In another embodiment, in formula (V), R²³ is hydrogen or a halogen. In related embodiments, in formula (V), R²⁴ is selected from hydrogen, acetylamino, an arylamino, a heteroarylamino, acetyl, an aminomethylene, —NH₂, an alkylaminomethylene, a dialkylaminomethylene, a carboxyamide, carboxy, cyano, a formaldehyde oxime or O-methyl oxime, a methyl, a phenyl, a pyrazolyl, an imidazolyl, a pyridinyl, a triazolyl, a N-(heteroarylmethylene)aminocarbonyl, a N,N-di(heteroarylalkyl)aminocarbonyl, a N-(heteroarylethylene)aminocarbonyl, an alkylaminosulfonyl, tert-butyl, a phenylaminocarbonyl and a heteroarylaminocarbonyl. In related embodiments, in formula (V), R²⁰ and R²² may be cyclically linked.

In certain embodiments, a compound is of the structure of formula (VI):

where R²⁵ is hydrogen, an aliphatic, an amino, an alkoxy, a carbonyl, an aryl, a halogen, a nitro, a sulfonyl or a heterocycle; and

-   -   m is 0 or 1, such that:

when m is 0, Z¹ is a methylene (e.g., —CH₂—); and

-   -   when m is 1, Z¹ is a methylene (e.g., —CH(R¹⁰⁹)—), an oxy (—O—)         or an amino (—N(R¹¹⁰)—); where R¹⁰⁹ and R¹¹⁰ are independently         selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, a heterocycle, a         carbonyl and a sulfonyl.

In related embodiments, in formula (VI), R²⁵ is selected from hydrogen, (5H-furan-2-onyl)-ethyl, an acetylamino, an arylsulfonylamino, a benzyloxymethylene, bromo, chloro, fluoro, iodo, a lower alkoxy, a lower alkylamino, a lower-alkoxymethylene, a methyl, a N,N-(di-lower alkyl)aminomethylene, —NH₂, nitro, a N-phenyl-piperidinyl-methylene, a phenyl, a pyridyl and sulfonic acid.

In related embodiments, in formula (VI), R²⁵ is hydrogen or a lower alkyl, m is 1 and Z¹ is NR¹¹¹, where R¹¹¹ is hydrogen or a lower alkyl (e.g. a branched lower alkyl).

In another embodiment, a compound of the invention includes a dimer of quinolines, where the two quinoline monomers are connected by a single bond or a linker of about 1 to 20 atoms in length, such as of 1 to 10, or 2 to 6 atoms in length. The two quinoline monomers of the dimer can be the same or different. In some cases, the two quinoline monomers include 8- and 8′-substituents that are both hydroxyl. In some cases, the 7- and 7′-positions of the two quinoline monomers are connected by the linker. In certain cases, the linker may include a ring structure, for example a N,N′-disubstituted piperidino heterocycle. In certain cases, the linker may be cyclic or acyclic, and may include 1 or more heteroatoms, and may be optionally substituted. In certain cases, the linker may be an amino linker of 1 atom in length (e.g., —N(R¹¹²)—, where R¹¹² is hydrogen or a lower alkyl.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is of the structure of formula (VII):

where R³¹ is hydrogen, an alkyl, an arylalkyl, an aryl, an acyl, a sugar or a sugar derivative;

R³² and R³³ are independently selected from hydrogen, an aryl and a halogen;

R³⁴ is hydrogen or an aryl; and

R³⁵ is selected from an alkylaminocarbonyl, an arylaminocarbonyl, a heterocyclylaminocarbonyl, carboxyamide, an alkylaminosulfonyl, an arylaminosulfonyl, a carboxy and cyano.

In related embodiments, in formula (VII), R³¹ is an isopropyl, a methyl, a benzyl or a sugar derivative of one of the following structures:

In related embodiments, in formula (VII), R³² and R³³ are independently selected from hydrogen, chloro, bromo, iodo and a phenyl; and

R³⁴ is hydrogen or a phenyl.

In related embodiments, in formula (VII), R³⁵ is of the following structure:

where Ar is an aryl or a heteroaryl, and n is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4.

In related embodiments, n is 0, 1 or 2 and Ar is an imidazolyl (e.g., a 2-imidazolyl or a N-methyl-4-imidazolyl), a phenyl (e.g., a 2-hydroxypheyl), a pyridyl (e.g., a 2-pyridyl), a pyrazolyl, a triazolyl or a thiazole (e.g., a 2-thiazolyl). In another embodiment, the amido nitrogen may be alkylated.

In related embodiments, in formula (VII), R³⁵ is of the following structure:

where Het¹ and Het² are independently a heteroaryl; and

p and q are independently 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4.

In related embodiments, p and q are independently 1 or 2, and Het¹ and Het² are independently selected from an imidazolyl (e.g., a 2-imidazolyl or a N-methyl-4-imidazolyl), a pyridyl (e.g., a 2-pyridyl), a pyrazolyl, a triazolyl and a thiazole (e.g., a 2-thiazolyl).

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is of the structure of formula (VIII),

where R³⁷ and R³⁸ are independently selected from an aryl (e.g., a phenyl) and a heterocycle (e.g., a thiophenyl or a benzothiophenyl);

R³⁶ is hydrogen, an alkyl, an aryl, an acyl, a sugar or a sugar derivative.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is of the structure of one of formulas (IX), (X) and (XI):

where R⁴¹, R⁴³, R⁴⁴ and R⁴⁶ are independently one or more groups, each R⁴¹, R⁴³, R⁴⁴ and R⁴⁶ independently selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy, an amino, a carbonyl, cyano, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a nitro, a thio, a sulfinyl and a sulfonyl;

R³⁹, R⁴² and R⁴⁵ are independently selected from hydrogen, an alkyl, an aryl, an acyl, a sugar and a sugar derivative; and

R⁴⁰ and R⁴⁷ are independently selected from hydrogen, a trifluoromethyl and a halogen.

In related embodiments, in formulas (IX), (X) and (XI), each R⁴¹, R⁴³, R⁴⁴ and R⁴⁶ are independently selected from hydrogen, carboxyaldehyde, a lower alkyl (e.g., methyl), an amino (e.g., N,N-dimethylamino), hydroxyl, nitro, a lower alkoxy (e.g., methoxy), trifluoromethyl and a halogen.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is of the structure of formula (XII):

where R⁴⁸ is selected from hydrogen, an alkyl, an aryl, an acyl, a sugar and a sugar derivative; and

R⁴⁹ and R⁵⁰ are independently selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy, an amino, a carbonyl, a cyano, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a nitro, a thio, a sulfinyl and a sulfonyl.

In related embodiments, in formula (XII), R⁴⁹ is selected from hydrogen, hydroxyl and a phenyl; and

R⁵⁰ is selected from hydrogen, acetylamino, an arylamino, a heteroarylamino, acetyl, an aminomethylene, —NH₂, an alkylaminomethylene, a dialkylaminomethylene, a carboxyamide, carboxy, cyano, a formaldehyde oxime or O-methyl oxime, a methyl, a phenyl, a pyrazolyl, an imidazolyl, a pyridinyl, a triazolyl, a N-(heteroarylmethylene)aminocarbonyl, a N,N-di(heteroarylalkyl)aminocarbonyl, a N-(heteroarylethylene)aminocarbonyl, an alkylaminosulfonyl, tert-butyl, a phenylaminocarbonyl and a heteroarylaminocarbonyl.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is of the structure of formula (XIII):

where R⁵¹ is selected from hydrogen, an alkyl, an aryl, an acyl, a sugar and a sugar derivative;

R⁵² is selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy, an amino, a carbonyl, a cyano, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a nitro, a thio, a sulfinyl and a sulfonyl; and

R⁵³ is selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an amino, a heterocycle and hydroxyl.

In related embodiments, in formula (XIII), R⁵² is selected from hydrogen, hydroxyl and a phenyl; and

R⁵³ is selected from —NH₂, —OH, a lower alkyl, a phenyl, a pyrazolyl, an imidazolyl, a pyridinyl, a triazolyl, a N-(heteroarylmethylene)amino, a N,N-di(heteroarylalkyl)amino, a N-(heteroarylethylene)amino, a phenylamino and a heteroarylamino.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is of the structure of formula (XIV):

where R⁵⁴ is selected from hydrogen, an alkyl, an aryl, an acyl, a sugar and a sugar derivative; and

R⁵⁵ is selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy, an amino, a carbonyl, a cyano, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a nitro, a thio, a sulfinyl and a sulfonyl.

In related embodiments, in formula (XIV), R⁵⁵ is selected from hydrogen, acetylamino, an arylamino, a heteroarylamino, acetyl, an aminomethylene, —NH₂, an alkylaminomethylene, a dialkylaminomethylene, a carboxyamide, carboxy, cyano, a formaldehyde oxime or O-methyl oxime, a methyl, a phenyl, a pyrazolyl, an imidazolyl, a pyridinyl, a triazolyl, a N-(heteroarylmethylene)aminocarbonyl, a N,N-di(heteroarylalkyl)aminocarbonyl, a N-(heteroarylethylene)aminocarbonyl, an alkylaminosulfonyl, tert-butyl, a phenylaminocarbonyl and a heteroarylaminocarbonyl.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is of the structure of formula (XV):

where R⁵⁶ is selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an acyl, a carbonyl, a heterocycle, a sulfinyl and a sulfonyl; and

Z² is O, S or NR¹¹³, where R¹¹³ is selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, a heterocycle, a guanidyl, a carbonyl and a sulfonyl.

In related embodiments, in formula (XV), R⁵⁶ is selected from hydrogen, acetyl, an phenyl, a pyrazolyl, an imidazolyl, a pyridinyl, a triazolyl, a thiazolyl, a heteroarylmethylene and a heteroarylethylene, where the heteroaryl substituents are a pyrazolyl, an imidazolyl, a pyridinyl, a thiazolyl and a triazolyl.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is of the structure of formula (XVI):

where R⁵⁷ is selected from hydrogen, an alkyl, an aryl, an acyl, a sugar and a sugar derivative;

R⁵⁸ is selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy, an amino, a carbonyl, a cyano, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a nitro, a thio, a sulfinyl and a sulfonyl; and

Z³ is selected from S, O, or NR¹¹⁴, where R¹¹⁴ is —OH or a lower alkoxy.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is of the structure of formula (XVII):

where R⁵⁹ and R⁶⁰ are independently selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl and a heterocycle.

One embodiment provides a use of a compound selected from Yodoxin (iodoquinol), 5,7-dibromo-8-hydroxyquinoline, 5-chloro-7-iodo-8-quinolinol (clioquinol), and 5,7-dichloro-8-hydroxyquinoline.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is a quinoline, with the proviso that the compound does not comprise a triphenylmethyl, a triphenylamino, a tiphenylphosphine or a Ph₃Z⁴ group, where Z⁴ is Ar, Si or Ge.

In certain embodiments, a compound of the invention is not a triaryl compound of the general structure:

where Z⁵ is carbon, N, P, Ar, Si or Ge, and R¹¹⁵, R¹¹⁶ and R¹¹⁷ are independently on eor more groups, each R¹¹⁵, R¹¹⁶ and R¹¹⁷ independently selected from hydrogen and a phenyl substituent, where optionally two R¹¹⁵, R¹¹⁶ and/or R¹¹⁷ groups may be cyclically linked.

One embodiment provides a use of a compound described by the structure of one of compounds 1001 to 1268 of Table 1.

TABLE 1 COMPOUNDS Table 1: Compounds 1001 to 1268 Compound Mol Structure # Weight Formula

1001 349.43 C21H23N3O2

1002 432.74 C20H19BrClN3O

1003 377.48 C23H27N3O2

1004 411.50 C26H25N3O2

1005 466.33 C23H20BrN3O3

1006 396.27 C21H15Cl2N3O

1007 406.27 C21H16BrN3O

1008 413.47 C25H23N3O3

1009 396.27 C21H15Cl2N3O

1010 366.48 C21H22N2O2S

1011 425.95 C24H28ClN3O2

1012 408.83 C22H17ClN2O4

1013 478.92 C26H23ClN2O5

1014 453.32 C24H18Cl2N2O3

1015 444.91 C26H21ClN2O3

1016 444.91 C26H21ClN2O3

1017 444.91 C26H21ClN2O3

1018 396.95 C9H5I2NO

1019 302.95 C9H5Br2NO

1020 214.05 C9H5Cl2NO

1021 305.50 C9H5ClINO

1022 371.23 C18H15BrN2O2

1023 352.38 C20H20N2O4

1024 306.36 C19H18N2O2

1025 326.78 C18H15ClN2O2

1026 383.25 C16H12Cl2N2O3S

1027 409.44 C22H23N3O5

1028 411.41 C21H21N3O6

1029 364.40 C20H20N4O3

1030 334.41 C21H22N2O2

1031 413.85 C21H20ClN3O4

1032 400.86 C21H21ClN2O4

1033 397.38 C20H19N3O6

1034 327.29 C16H13N3O5

1035 377.39 C21H19N3O4

1036 425.43 C22H23N3O6

1037 371.77 C18H14ClN3O4

1038 386.83 C20H19ClN2O4

1039 330.77 C17H15ClN2O3

1040 409.44 C22H23N3O5

1041 375.25 C19H16Cl2N2O2

1042 389.27 C20H18Cl2N2O2

1043 370.83 C20H19ClN2O3

1044 399.83 C20H18ClN3O4

1045 394.89 C23H23ClN2O2

1046 423.42 C22H21N3O6

1047 374.48 C24H26N2O2

1048 371.41 C18H17N3O4S

1049 365.38 C20H19N3O4

1050 337.33 C18H15N3O4

1051 381.38 C20H19N3O5

1052 332.80 C16H13ClN2O2S

1053 439.46 C23H25N3O6

1054 413.85 C21H20ClN3O4

1055 369.37 C19H19N3O5

1056 407.46 C23H25N3O4

1057 368.86 C21H21ClN2O2

1058 298.36 C16H14N2O2S

1059 369.85 C20H20ClN3O2

1060 391.51 C24H29N3O2

1061 398.88 C22H23ClN2O3

1062 396.91 C23H25ClN2O2

1063 385.44 C19H19N3O4S

1064 409.39 C21H19N3O6

1065 426.46 C26H22N2O4

1066 397.90 C22H24ClN3O2

1067 374.88 C19H19ClN2O2S

1068 449.46 C24H23N3O6

1069 405.45 C23H23N3O4

1070 425.95 C24H28ClN3O2

1071 407.46 C23H25N3O4

1072 465.50 C25H27N3O6

1073 395.41 C21H21N3O5

1074 385.80 C19H16ClN3O4

1075 439.46 C23H25N3O6

1076 394.46 C23H26N2O4

1077 344.79 C18H17ClN2O3

1078 386.40 C22H18N4O3

1079 308.16 C14H11Cl2N3O

1080 389.88 C23H20ClN3O

1081 400.43 C23H20N4O3

1082 396.27 C21H15Cl2N3O

1083 434.33 C23H20BrN3O

1084 400.43 C23H20N4O3

1085 400.47 C24H24N4O2

1086 354.40 C23H18N2O2

1087 310.35 C18H18N2O3

1088 334.41 C21H22N2O2

1089 271.36 C16H21N3O

1090 360.86 C18H17ClN2O2S

1091 314.36 C16H14N2O3S

1092 348.80 C16H13ClN2O3S

1093 468.55 C23H20N2O5S2

1094 361.82 C21H16ClN3O

1095 361.82 C21H16ClN3O

1096 230.31 C14H18N2O

1097 272.34 C16H20N2O2

1098 286.37 C17H22N2O2

1099 300.40 C18H24N2O2

1100 314.42 C19H26N2O2

1101 329.44 C19H27N3O2

1102 314.42 C19H26N2O2

1103 328.45 C20H28N2O2

1104 332.36 C19H16N4O2

1105 410.98 C10H7I2NO

1106 337.80 C20H16ClNO2

1107 338.81 C15H15ClN2O3S

1108 420.30 C22H18BrN3O

1109 416.90 C25H21ClN2O2

1110 365.38 C20H19N3O4

1111 375.85 C22H18ClN3O

1112 425.43 C22H23N3O6

1113 353.85 C20H20ClN3O

1114 159.18 C10H9NO

1115 263.29 C17H13NO2

1116 265.31 C17H15NO2

1117 293.32 C18H15NO3

1118 267.35 C16H13NOS

1119 222.24 C14H10N2O

1120 211.22 C12H9N3O

1121 237.25 C15H11NO2

1122 311.33 C18H17NO4

1123 236.27 C15H12N2O

1124 285.32 C14H11N3O2S

1125 370.4 C22H18N4O2

1126 202.21 C11H10N2O2

1127 188.18 C10H8N2O2

1128 318.35 C14H14N4O3S

1129 205.17 C10H7NO4

1130 189.17 C10H7NO3

1131 170.17 C10H6N2O

1132 406.52 C25H30N2O3

1133 282.3 C15H14N4O2

1134 279.29 C16H13N3O2

1135 293.32 C17H15N3O2

1136 280.28 C16H12N2O3

1137 271.3 C13H9N3O2S

1138 285.32 C14H11N3O2S

1139 298.3 C15H14N4O3

1140 295.29 C16H13N3O3

1141 246.22 C12H10N2O4

1142 231.25 C12H13N3O2

1143 187.19 C11H9NO2

1144 295.29 C16H13N3O3

1145 355.35 C17H17N5O4

1146 352.34 C18H16N4O4

1147 262.22 C12H10N2O5

1148 216.24 C11H12N4O

1149 216.24 C12H12N2O2

1150 174.2 C10H10N2O

1151 188.18 C10H8N2O2

1152 268.31 C15H16N4O

1153 293.36 C18H19N3O

1154 265.31 C16H15N3O

1155 365.45 C19H19N5OS

1156 362.45 C20H18N4OS

1157 348.4 C19H20N6O

1158 359.42 C21H21N5O

1159 356.42 C22H20N4O

1160 345.4 C20H19N5O

1161 359.42 C22H21N3O2

1162 160.17 C9H8N2O

1163 317.34 C19H15N3O2

1164 211.22 C12H9N3O

1165 211.22 C12H9N3O

1166 225.25 C13H11N3O

1167 212.21 C11H8N4O

1168 237.26 C14H11N3O

1169 281.33 C15H11N3OS

1170 225.22 C9H7NO4S

1171 222.24 C14H10N2O

1172 175.18 C10H9NO2

1173 174.2 C10H10N2O

1174 175.18 C10H9NO2

1175 174.2 C10H10N2O

1176 203.24 C11H13N3O

1177 205.21 C11H11NO3

1178 204.23 C11H12N2O2

1179 204.23 C11H12N2O2

1180 202.21 C11H10N2O2

1181 202.21 C11H10N2O2

1182 259.26 C13H13N3O3

1183 311.33 C18H17NO4

1184 317.29 C16H15NO6

1185 347.54 C11H7ClINO2

1186 225.22 C9H7NO4S

1187 351.12 C9H6INO4S

1188 160.17 C9H8N2O

1189 179.6 C9H6ClNO

1190 173.21 C11H11NO

1191 285.72 C16H12ClNO2

1192 196.2 C12H8N2O

1193 202.21 C11H10N2O2

1194 257.07 C10H6Cl2N2O2

1195 271.1 C11H8Cl2N2O2

1196 271.14 C12H12Cl2N2O

1197 163.15 C9H6FNO

1198 361.19 C15H13BrN4O2

1199 257.07 C10H6Cl2N2O2

1200 351.19 C15H12Cl2N4O2

1201 258.06 C10H5Cl2NO3

1202 195.22 C13H9NO

1203 243.09 C10H8Cl2N2O

1204 365.21 C16H14Cl2N4O2

1205 271.14 C12H12Cl2N2O

1206 291.13 C14H8Cl2N2O

1207 320.17 C15H11Cl2N3O

1208 256.69 C14H9ClN2O

1209 248.49 C9H4Cl3NO

1210 229.06 C9H6Cl2N2O

1211 255.7 C15H10ClNO

1212 285.72 C16H12ClNO2

1213 300.7 C15H9ClN2O3

1214 273.69 C15H9ClFNO

1215 291.68 C15H8ClF2NO

1216 285.72 C16H12ClNO2

1217 273.69 C15H9ClFNO

1218 283.71 C16H10ClNO2

1219 273.69 C15H9ClFNO

1220 298.77 C17H15ClN2O

1221 269.73 C16H12ClNO

1222 269.73 C16H12ClNO

1223 323.7 C16H9ClF3NO

1224 271.7 C15H10ClNO2

1225 311.79 C17H10ClNOS

1226 357.19 C18H10Cl2N2O2

1227 261.73 C13H8ClNOS

1228 291.68 C15H8ClF2NO

1229 300.15 C15H10BrNO

1230 336.13 C15H8BrF2NO

1231 415.15 C16H9F3INO

1232 361.18 C16H12INO

1233 377.18 C16H12INO2

1234 365.14 C15H9FINO

1235 297.35 C21H15NO

1236 325.4 C23H19NO

1237 357.4 C23H19NO3

1238 433.35 C23H13F6NO

1239 333.33 C21H13F2NO

1240 321.28 C15H15NO7

1241 307.3 C15H17NO6

1242 327.8 C19H18ClNO2

1243 327.8 C19H18ClNO2

1244 315.77 C18H15ClFNO

1245 315.77 C18H15ClFNO

1246 347.58 C12H11ClINO

1247 367.48 C26H25NO

1248 439.03 C12H11I2NO

1249 342.23 C18H16BrNO

1250 378.21 C18H14BrF2NO

1251 297.78 C18H16ClNO

1252 327.8 C19H18ClNO2

1253 333.76 C18H14ClF2NO

1254 314.18 C16H12BrNO

1255 361.84 C18H16ClNO3S

1256 457.23 C19H15F3INO

1257 399.48 C26H25NO3

1258 419.26 C19H18INO2

1259 403.26 C19H18INO

1260 365.78 C19H15ClF3NO

1261 235.28 C16H13NO

1262 407.22 C18H15FINO

1263 342.78 C18H15ClN2O3

1264 315.77 C18H15ClFNO

1265 311.81 C19H18ClNO

1266 325.79 C19H16ClNO2

1267 340.85 C20H21ClN2O

1268 307.35 C18H17N3O2 Pharmaceutical Preparations

Also provided are pharmaceutical preparations. Pharmaceutical preparations are compositions that include a TERT expression enhancing compound (for example one or more TERT expression enhancing compounds, either alone or in the presence of one or more additional active agents) present in a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle. The term “pharmaceutically acceptable” means approved by a regulatory agency of the Federal or a state government or listed in the U.S. Pharmacopeia or other generally recognized pharmacopeia for use in mammals, such as humans. The term “vehicle” refers to a diluent, adjuvant, excipient, or carrier with which a compound of the invention is formulated for administration to a mammal. Such pharmaceutical vehicles can be liquids, such as water and oils, including those of petroleum, animal, vegetable or synthetic origin, such as peanut oil, soybean oil, mineral oil, sesame oil and the like. The pharmaceutical vehicles can be saline, gum acacia, gelatin, starch paste, talc, keratin, colloidal silica, urea, and the like. In addition, auxiliary, stabilizing, thickening, lubricating and coloring agents may be used. When administered to a mammal, the compounds and compositions of the invention and pharmaceutically acceptable vehicles, excipients, or diluents may be sterile. In some instances, an aqueous medium is employed as a vehicle when the compound of the invention is administered intravenously, such as water, saline solutions, and aqueous dextrose and glycerol solutions.

Pharmaceutical compositions can take the form of capsules, tablets, pills, pellets, lozenges, powders, granules, syrups, elixirs, solutions, suspensions, emulsions, suppositories, or sustained-release formulations thereof, or any other form suitable for administration to a mammal. In some instances, the pharmaceutical compositions are formulated for administration in accordance with routine procedures as a pharmaceutical composition adapted for oral or intravenous administration to humans. Examples of suitable pharmaceutical vehicles and methods for formulation thereof are described in Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy, Alfonso R. Gennaro ed., Mack Publishing Co. Easton, Pa., 19th ed., 1995, Chapters 86, 87, 88, 91, and 92, incorporated herein by reference.

The choice of excipient will be determined in part by the particular compound, as well as by the particular method used to administer the composition. Accordingly, there is a wide variety of suitable formulations of the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention.

Administration of TERT expression enhancing compounds of the invention may be systemic or local. In certain embodiments administration to a mammal will result in systemic release of a compound of the invention (for example, into the bloodstream). Methods of administration may include enteral routes, such as oral, buccal, sublingual, and rectal; topical administration, such as transdermal and intradermal; and parenteral administration. Suitable parenteral routes include injection via a hypodermic needle or catheter, for example, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, intradermal, intraperitoneal, intraarterial, intraventricular, intrathecal, and intracameral injection and non-injection routes, such as intravaginal rectal, or nasal administration. In particular embodiments, the compounds and compositions of the invention are administered orally. In particular embodiments, it may be desirable to administer one or more compounds of the invention locally to the area in need of treatment. This may be achieved, for example, by local infusion during surgery, topical application, e.g., in conjunction with a wound dressing after surgery, by injection, by means of a catheter, by means of a suppository, or by means of an implant, said implant being of a porous, non-porous, or gelatinous material, including membranes, such as sialastic membranes, or fibers.

The TERT expression enhancing compounds can be formulated into preparations for injection by dissolving, suspending or emulsifying them in an aqueous or nonaqueous solvent, such as vegetable or other similar oils, synthetic aliphatic acid glycerides, esters of higher aliphatic acids or propylene glycol; and if desired, with conventional additives such as solubilizers, isotonic agents, suspending agents, emulsifying agents, stabilizers and preservatives.

In some embodiments, formulations suitable for oral administration can include (a) liquid solutions, such as an effective amount of the compound dissolved in diluents, such as water, or saline; (b) capsules, sachets or tablets, each containing a predetermined amount of the active ingredient, as solids or granules; (c) suspensions in an appropriate liquid; and (d) suitable emulsions. Tablet forms can include one or more of lactose, mannitol, corn starch, potato starch, microcrystalline cellulose, acacia, gelatin, colloidal silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium, talc, magnesium stearate, stearic acid, and other excipients, colorants, diluents, buffering agents, moistening agents, preservatives, flavoring agents, and pharmacologically compatible excipients. Lozenge forms can include the active ingredient in a flavor, usually sucrose and acacia or tragacanth, as well as pastilles including the active ingredient in an inert base, such as gelatin and glycerin, or sucrose and acacia, emulsions, gels, and the like containing, in addition to the active ingredient, such excipients as are described herein.

The subject formulations of the present invention can be made into aerosol formulations to be administered via inhalation. These aerosol formulations can be placed into pressurized acceptable propellants, such as dichlorodifluoromethane, propane, nitrogen, and the like. They may also be formulated as pharmaceuticals for non-pressured preparations such as for use in a nebulizer or an atomizer.

In some embodiments, formulations suitable for parenteral administration include aqueous and non-aqueous, isotonic sterile injection solutions, which can contain anti-oxidants, buffers, bacteriostats, and solutes that render the formulation isotonic with the blood of the intended recipient, and aqueous and non-aqueous sterile suspensions that can include suspending agents, solubilizers, thickening agents, stabilizers, and preservatives. The formulations can be presented in unit-dose or multi-dose sealed containers, such as ampules and vials, and can be stored in a freeze-dried (lyophilized) condition requiring only the addition of the sterile liquid excipient, for example, water, for injections, immediately prior to use. Extemporaneous injection solutions and suspensions can be prepared from sterile powders, granules, and tablets of the kind previously described.

Formulations suitable for topical administration may be presented as creams, gels, pastes, or foams, containing, in addition to the active ingredient, such carriers as are appropriate. In some embodiments the topical formulation contains one or more components selected from a structuring agent, a thickener or gelling agent, and an emollient or lubricant. Frequently employed structuring agents include long chain alcohols, such as stearyl alcohol, and glyceryl ethers or esters and oligo(ethylene oxide) ethers or esters thereof. Thickeners and gelling agents include, for example, polymers of acrylic or methacrylic acid and esters thereof, polyacrylamides, and naturally occurring thickeners such as agar, carrageenan, gelatin, and guar gum. Examples of emollients include triglyceride esters, fatty acid esters and amides, waxes such as beeswax, spermaceti, or carnauba wax, phospholipids such as lecithin, and sterols and fatty acid esters thereof. The topical formulations may further include other components, e.g., astringents, fragrances, pigments, skin penetration enhancing agents, sunscreens (i.e., sunblocking agents), etc.

For use in wound healing or treatment of other acute or chronic conditions of the epidermis, a compound of the invention may be formulated for topical administration. The vehicle for topical application may be in one of various forms, e.g. a lotion, cream, gel, ointment, stick, spray, or paste. They may contain various types of carriers, including, but not limited to, solutions, aerosols, emulsions, gels, and liposomes. The carrier may be formulated, for example, as an emulsion, having an oil-in-water or water-in-oil base. Suitable hydrophobic (oily) components employed in emulsions include, for example, vegetable oils, animal fats and oils, synthetic hydrocarbons, and esters and alcohols thereof, including polyesters, as well as organopolysiloxane oils. Such emulsions also include an emulsifier and/or surfactant, e.g. a nonionic surfactant to disperse and suspend the discontinuous phase within the continuous phase.

Suppository formulations are also provided by mixing with a variety of bases such as emulsifying bases or water-soluble bases. Formulations suitable for vaginal administration may be presented as pessaries, tampons, creams, gels, pastes, foams.

A compound of the invention may also be formulated as a dietary supplement or nutraceutical, e.g., for oral administration. For a nutraceutical formulation, or an oral pharmaceutical formulation, suitable excipients include pharmaceutical grades of carriers such as mannitol, lactose, glucose, sucrose, starch, cellulose, gelatin, magnesium stearate, sodium saccharine, and/or magnesium carbonate. For use in oral liquid formulations, the composition may be prepared as a solution, suspension, emulsion, or syrup, being supplied either in solid or liquid form suitable for hydration in an aqueous carrier, such as, for example, aqueous saline, aqueous dextrose, glycerol, or ethanol, preferably water or normal saline. If desired, the composition may also contain minor amounts of non-toxic auxiliary substances such as wetting agents, emulsifying agents, or buffers. A compound of the invention may also be incorporated into existing nutraceutical formulations, such as are available conventionally, which may also include an herbal extract.

Unit dosage forms for oral or rectal administration such as syrups, elixirs, and suspensions may be provided wherein each dosage unit, for example, teaspoonful, tablespoonful, tablet or suppository, contains a predetermined amount of the composition containing one or more inhibitors. Similarly, unit dosage forms for injection or intravenous administration may include the inhibitor(s) in a composition as a solution in sterile water, normal saline or another pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

The term “unit dosage form,” as used herein, refers to physically discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for human and animal subjects, each unit containing a predetermined quantity of compounds of the present invention calculated in an amount sufficient to produce the desired effect in association with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent, carrier or vehicle. The specifications for the novel unit dosage forms of the present invention depend on the particular compound employed and the effect to be achieved, and the pharmacodynamics associated with each compound in the host.

Dose levels can vary as a function of the specific compound, the nature of the delivery vehicle, and the like. Desired dosages for a given compound are readily determinable by a variety of means.

The dose administered to an animal, particularly a human, in the context of the present invention should be sufficient to effect a prophylactic or therapeutic response in the animal over a reasonable time frame, e.g., as described in greater detail below. Dosage will depend on a variety of factors including the strength of the particular compound employed, the condition of the animal, and the body weight of the animal, as well as the severity of the illness and the stage of the disease. The size of the dose will also be determined by the existence, nature, and extent of any adverse side-effects that might accompany the administration of a particular compound.

In pharmaceutical dosage forms, the TERT expression enhancing compounds may be administered in the form of a free base, their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, or they may also be used alone or in appropriate association, as well as in combination, with other pharmaceutically active compounds.

Methods of Use

Aspects of the invention further include methods of using TERT expression enhancing compounds, e.g., as described above, to enhance TERT expression in a target cell population. In practicing methods of the invention, the cells of interest are contacted with an effective amount of a TERT expression enhancing compound, e.g., as described above. By effective amount is meant an amount of the TERT expression enhancing compound that is sufficient to enhance TERT expression in the target cell population to a desired level. By enhancing TERT expression is meant that the expression level of the TERT coding sequence is increased by 2-fold or more, such as by 5-fold or more and including by 25-, 50-, 100-fold or more, such as by 300-fold or more, as compared to a control, i.e., expression from an expression system that is not subjected to the methods of the present invention. Alternatively, in cases where expression of the TERT gene is so low that it is undetectable, expression of the TERT gene is considered to be enhanced if expression is increased to a level that is easily detectable.

In practicing methods of the invention, the cells of interest may be contacted with the effective amount of the TERT expression enhancing compound in an in vitro or ex vivo culture system, or in vivo. For example, a TERT expression enhancing compound may be contacted to primary cells grown under standard tissue culture conditions or alternatively to cells that are part of a whole animal (e.g., administered to a subject). As such, the target cell or collection of cells may vary, where the collection of cells may be cultured cells, a whole animal or portion thereof, e.g., tissue, organ, etc. As such, the target cell(s) may be a host animal or portion thereof, or may be a therapeutic cell (or cells) which is to be introduced into a multi-cellular organism, e.g., a cell employed in gene therapy. In such methods, an effective amount of an active agent is administered to the target cell or cells, e.g., by contacting the cells with the agent, by administering the agent to the animal, etc. By effective amount is meant a dosage sufficient to modulate TERT expression in the target cell(s), as desired.

In the subject methods, the TERT expression enhancing compound may be contacted with the target cells using any convenient protocol that results in the desired enhancement of TERT expression. Thus, the TERT expression enhancing compound can be incorporated into a variety of pharmaceutical compositions for therapeutic administration, e.g., as described above. For example, the TERT expression enhancing compound can be formulated into pharmaceutical compositions by combination with appropriate, pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or diluents, and may be formulated into preparations in solid, semi-solid, liquid or gaseous forms, such as tablets, capsules, powders, granules, ointments (e.g., skin creams), solutions, suppositories, injections, inhalants and aerosols, such as described above. As such, administration of the TERT expression enhancing compounds can be achieved in various ways, including oral, buccal, rectal, parenteral, intraperitoneal, intradermal, transdermal, intracheal, etc., administration.

The subject methods find use in the treatment of a variety of different conditions in which the enhancement of TERT expression in the host is desired. By treatment is meant that at least an amelioration of the symptoms associated with the condition afflicting the host is achieved, where amelioration is used in a broad sense to refer to at least a reduction in the magnitude of a parameter, e.g. symptom (such as inflammation), associated with the condition being treated. As such, treatment also includes situations where the pathological condition, or at least symptoms associated therewith, are completely inhibited, e.g., prevented from happening, or stopped, e.g. terminated, such that the host no longer suffers from the condition, or at least the symptoms that characterize the condition.

A variety of hosts are treatable according to the subject methods. Generally such hosts are “mammals” or “mammalian,” where these terms are used broadly to describe organisms which are within the class mammalia, including the orders carnivore (e.g., dogs and cats), rodentia (e.g., mice, guinea pigs, and rats), and primates (e.g., humans, chimpanzees, and monkeys). In many embodiments, the hosts will be humans.

Also provided are methods of screening TERT expression enhancing compounds, e.g., as described above, for their ability to inhibit binding of a transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to a TERT promoter that includes at least one of Site C binding site. Aspects of these screening methods may include determining whether a candidate TERT expression enhancing compound is capable of inhibiting binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site. Screening methods may include screening for TERT expression enhancing activity in a cell containing a TERT expression system that includes at least one Site C binding site in its promoter. Such methods may include: (i) contacting the cell with an effective amount of a candidate TERT expression enhancing compound; and (ii) determining whether the candidate compound inhibits binding of a transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site.

The determining step may be carried out by any one or more of a variety a protocols for characterizing TERT expression and/or the inhibition of binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site of the TERT expression system. For example, screening may be a reconstitution assay, cell-based assay, enzyme assay, ELISA assay or other related biological assay for assessing TERT expression and/or the inhibition of binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site of the TERT expression system, and the determining or assessment step suitable for application in such assays are well known and involve routine protocols. Screening may also include in silico approaches, in which one or more physical and/or chemical attributes of a compound of interest are expressed in a computer-readable format and evaluated by any one or more of a variety molecular modeling and/or analysis programs and algorithms suitable for this purpose.

Thus the screening methods of the invention can be carried, out in vitro or in vivo. For example, when the TERT promoter is in a cell, the cell may be in vitro or in vivo, and the determining of whether the compound is capable of inhibiting binding includes: (i) contacting the cell with an effective amount of the candidate TERT expression enhancing compound; and (ii) assessing whether the candidate compound inhibits binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site. In certain embodiments, inhibition of binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site increases the proliferative capacity of the cell. In some embodiments, inhibition of binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site delays the senescence of the cell. In yet additional embodiments, the TERT expression enhancing compound inhibits binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site. As such, determining whether a candidate TERT expression enhancing compound is capable of inhibiting binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site may be carried out by any number of methods, as well as combinations thereof.

In certain embodiments, the screening protocol is or includes part of an assay selected from a potency assay, a compound or product release assay, and combinations thereof. The potency assay characterizes one or more biological activities of a compound of interest, where biological activity is characterized in general by TERT expression levels and/or inhibiting binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site of a TERT expression system. Such a potency assay may also be exploited in the development and/or validation of assays, as well as for a compound release assay. The compound release assay involves assessment of one or more of sterility, safety, purity, identity and potency of a compound of interest.

Thus, in some embodiments, when the screening method employs a TERT expression enhancing compound that inhibits binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site, the TERT expression enhancing compound may be present as a pharmaceutical composition, e.g., as described above. In certain embodiments, the screening is a release assay for the pharmaceutical composition. In some embodiments, the screening is a potency assay for the pharmaceutical composition.

Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the screening methods of the invention are carried out for compound release, such as to demonstrate and/or confirm that a compound, such as a pharmaceutical composition including the compound, is one or more of safe, pure, potent, effective and stable. As such, the screening methods of the invention may include demonstration of manufacturing and product consistency, including characterization for product release involving assessment of one or more of sterility, safety, purity, identity and potency.

Of interest are screening methods of the invention that assess potency of a TERT expression enhancing compound of interest. By “potency” is intended the specific ability or capacity of a compound to effect a given result. Tests for potency may consist of either in vitro or in vivo tests, or both, which have been specifically adapted for each product so as to indicate its potency. Thus, potency assays indicate biological activity(s) specific/relevant to the product of interest. As noted above, the potency assays may include the generation of data regarding TERT expression and/or inhibition of binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site. Such data may include, but is not limited to, qualitative and/or quantitative results for compound activity, lot release, predefined acceptance and/or rejection criteria (demonstrate lot to lot consistency), include appropriate reference material/controls, be validated for licensure, measure activity of one or more components that may be necessary for product activity, and/or indicate product stability.

Potency measurements can be direct (e.g., biological assay) or indirect (e.g., surrogate assay(s) correlated to biological activity that may include one of many assays that measure product quality). For example, potency can be measured by simple identity markers that exhibit minimal variability from assay to assay over time, including functional biomarkers that correlate with cellular differentiation and senescence. This includes measurement of one or more of cellular proliferation, cellular survival, and/or senescence, as well as biomarkers from analytic, genomic and/or proteomic-based techniques that correlate to the biological activity of interest. For instance, determining expression of TERT and/or inhibition of binding of the transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to the Site C binding site can include various approaches for indirect potency measurements, including analytical assays such as a non-bioassay method correlated to a unique and/or specific activity of the compound (e.g., immunochemical procedures such as ELISA, ELISPOT, Q-flow cytometry, quantitative western blots; and molecular and biochemical procedures such as enzymatic assays, Q-PCR, RT-PCR, microarray/genomics, proteomics).

Thus potency measurement may be carried out in vivo in animal models or from clinical data (e.g., assessment of gene function, cell survival and so forth), and in vitro such as in cell and/or tissue culture (e.g., assessment of signaling pathways, proliferation, enzymatic activity, cell survival and so forth).

Utility

The TERT expression enhancing compounds, e.g., as described above, find use in a variety of applications. Applications of interest include, but are not limited to: therapeutic applications, research and manufacturing applications, and screening applications. Each of these different applications are now reviewed in greater details below.

Therapeutic Applications

TERT expression enhancing compounds of the invention find use in a variety of therapeutic applications. Therapeutic applications of interest include those applications in which reduced activity or expression of TERT (or shortened telomeres) is the cause or a compounding factor in disease progression. As such, the subject compounds find use in the treatment of a variety of different conditions in which the enhancement of TERT expression in the host is desired. Examples of disease conditions which may be treated with compounds of the invention include, but are not limited to: cancer, progeria, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, muscular dystrophy, dyskeratosis congenital, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Cri du Chat syndrome, down's syndrome, Fanconi's Anemia, tuberous sclerosis, Werner's syndrome, conditions related to cell and tissue transplants, liver cirrhosis, rheumatoid arthritis, immune senescence, skin rejuvenation, bone marrow disorders, anemia, leukemia, lymphoma, and AIDS.

One disease condition where compounds of the invention find use is Progeria. Progeria is a collection of syndromes all of which exhibit varying forms of premature aging. In many ways progeria parallels aging itself. The two most publicized forms of progeria are Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, which strikes in early childhood, and Werner syndrome, which is an adult-onset disease. Children with Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome live an average of just under 13 years, dying primarily from atherosclerosis, usually cardiac or cardiovascular. People with Werner syndrome are usually diagnosed in their thirties and die in their forties. The progerias have been linked directly to premature telomere loss in a variety of cell types. Dyskeratosis congenita is rare progressive congenital disorder which results in premature aging as seen in progeria. It is thought to be primarily a disorder of poor telomere maintenance. The subject methods can be used in such conditions to further delay natural telomeric shortening and/or increase telomeric length, thereby treating these currently incurable syndromes. Administration of TERT enhancing compounds of the invention to subjects suffering from this condition in accordance with methods of the invention, e.g., as described above, results in treatment of the subject for this condition.

Another disease condition in which the subject compounds find use is Fanconi anemia (FA). FA is a genetic disease that affects children and adults from all ethnic backgrounds. FA is characterized by short stature, skeletal anomalies, increased incidence of solid tumors and leukemias, bone marrow failure (aplastic anemia), and cellular sensitivity to DNA damaging agents such as mitomycin C. FA is known to affect DNA repair and FA patients are more likely to develop bone marrow failure, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Administration of TERT enhancing compounds of the invention to subjects suffering from this condition in accordance with methods of the invention, e.g., as described above, results in treatment of the subject for this condition.

Another disease condition in which the subject compounds find use is in immune senescence. The effectiveness of the immune system decreases with age. Part of this decline is due to fewer T-lymphocytes in the system, a result of lost replicative capacity. Many of the remaining T-lymphocytes experience loss of function as their telomeres shorten and they approach senescence. The subject methods can be employed to inhibit immune senescence due to telomere loss. Because hosts with aging immune systems are at greater risk of developing pneumonia, cellulitis, influenza, and many other infections, the subject methods reduce morbidity and mortality due to infections. Administration of TERT enhancing compounds of the invention to subjects suffering from this condition in accordance with methods of the invention, e.g., as described above, results in treatment of the subject for this condition.

Another disease condition in which the subject compounds find use is AIDS. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, invades white blood cells, particularly CD4 lymphocyte cells, and causes them to reproduce high numbers of the HIV virus, ultimately killing cells. In response to the loss of immune cells (typically about a billion per day), the body produces more CD8 cells to be able to suppress infection. This rapid cell division accelerates telomere shortening, ultimately hastening immune senescence of the CD8 cells. Anti-retroviral therapies have successfully restored the immune systems of AIDS patients, but survival depends upon the remaining fraction of the patient's aged T-cells. Once shortened, telomere length has not been naturally restored within cells. The subject methods can be employed to restore this length and/or prevent further shortening. As such the subject methods can spare telomeres and is useful in conjunction with the anti-retroviral treatments currently available for HIV/AIDS. Administration of TERT enhancing compounds of the invention to subjects suffering from this condition in accordance with methods of the invention, e.g., as described above, results in treatment of the subject for this condition.

Yet another type of disease condition in which the invention finds use is cardiovascular disease. The compounds of the invention can be employed to extend telomere length and replicative capacity of endothelial cells lining blood vessel walls (DeBono, Heart 80:110-1, 1998). Endothelial cells form the inner lining of blood vessels and divide and replace themselves in response to stress. Stresses include high blood pressure, excess cholesterol, inflammation, and flow stresses at forks in vessels. As endothelial cells age and can no longer divide sufficiently to replace lost cells, areas under the endothelial layer become exposed. Exposure of the underlying vessel wall increases inflammation, the growth of smooth muscle cells, and the deposition of cholesterol. As a result, the vessel narrows and becomes scarred and irregular, which contributes to even more stress on the vessel (Cooper, Cooke and Dzau, J Gerontol Biol Sci 49: 191-6, 1994). Aging endothelial cells also produce altered amounts of trophic factors (hormones that affect the activity of neighboring cells). These too contribute to increased clotting, proliferation of smooth muscle cells, invasion by white blood cells, accumulation of cholesterol, and other changes, many of which lead to plaque formation and clinical cardiovascular disease (Ibid.). By extending endothelial cell telomeres, the subject methods can be employed to combat the stresses contributing to vessel disease. Many heart attacks may be prevented if endothelial cells were enabled to continue to divide normally and better maintain cardiac vessels. The occurrence of strokes caused by the aging of brain blood vessels may also be significantly reduced by employing the subject methods to help endothelial cells in the brain blood vessels to continue to divide and perform their intended function. Administration of TERT enhancing compounds of the invention to subjects suffering from this condition in accordance with methods of the invention, e.g., as described above, results in treatment of the subject for this condition.

Yet another disease condition in which the subject compounds find use is the treatment of osteoporosis. Two types of cells interplay in osteoporosis: osteoblasts make bone and osteoclasts destroy it. Normally, the two are in balance and maintain a constant turnover of highly structured bone. In youth, bones are resilient, harder to break, and heal quickly. In old age, bones are brittle, break easily, and heal slowly and often improperly. Bone loss has been postulated to occur because aged osteoblasts, having lost much of their replicative capacity, cannot continue to divide at the rate necessary to maintain balance (Hazzard et al. PRINCIPLES OF GERIATRIC MEDICINE AND GERONTOLOGY, 2d ed. McGraw-Hill, New York City, 1994). The subject compounds can be employed to lengthen telomeres of osteoblast and osteoclast stem cells, thereby encouraging bone replacement and proper remodeling and reinforcement. The resultant stronger bone improves the quality of life for the many sufferers of osteoporosis and provides savings from fewer fracture treatments. The subject compounds and methods are generally part of a comprehensive treatment regime that also includes calcium, estrogen, and exercise. Administration of TERT enhancing compounds of the invention to subjects suffering from this condition in accordance with methods of the invention, e.g., as described above, results in treatment of the subject for this condition.

Yet another disease condition in which the subject compounds find use in the treatment of bone marrow disorders. The target may be a cell or population of cells which are treated according to the subject methods and then introduced into a multi-cellular organism for therapeutic effect. For example, the subject methods may be employed in bone marrow transplants for the treatment of cancer and skin grafts for burn victims. In these cases, cells are isolated from a human donor and then cultured for transplantation back into human recipients. During the cell culturing, the cells normally age and senesce, decreasing their useful lifespans. Bone marrow cells, for instance, lose approximately 40% of their replicative capacity during culturing. This problem is aggravated when the cells are first genetically engineered (Decary, Mouly et al. Hum Gene Ther 7(11): 1347-50, 1996). In such cases, the therapeutic cells must be expanded from a single engineered cell. By the time there are sufficient cells for transplantation, the cells have undergone the equivalent of 50 years of aging (Decary, Mouly et al. Hum Gene Ther 8(12): 1429-38, 1997). Use of the subject methods spares the replicative capacity of bone marrow cells and skin cells during culturing and expansion and thus significantly improves the survival and effectiveness of bone marrow and skin cell transplants. Any transplantation technology requiring cell culturing can benefit from the subject methods, including ex vivo gene therapy applications in which cells are cultured outside of the animal and then administered to the animal, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,068,837; 6,027,488; 5,824,655; 5,821,235; 5,770,580; 5,756,283; 5,665,350; the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.

The subject compounds further find use cell therapy treatment applications. Cell therapy involves the isolation of healthy human cells, the expansion of those cells ex vivo, and the reinfusion of the expanded cells into a patient. Cell therapy has application in the treatment of cancer and organ transplantation and many other disease states or conditions. For instance, bone marrow therapy takes advantage of the fact that bone marrow, the major organ of the immune system, is responsible for production of various cells in the blood from hematopoietic stem cells. Physicians treat hematological disorders such as anemia, leukemia, and lymphoma through bone marrow transplantation, in which bone marrow is removed from a donor (allogenic transplant) or a patient (autologous transplant) through general surgery, frozen and stored, and then transfused into the patient at a later date. Once transfused into the patient, the bone marrow cells gravitate to the bone marrow and engraft, eventually producing new blood cells either to increase the number of such cells in the anemic patient or to reconstitute the bone marrow destroyed as a result of chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Yet another disease condition in which the subject compounds find use is macular degeneration. Macular degeneration results in the gradual loss of central vision, ultimately leading to blindness. Some evidence points to the senescence of retinal pigment epithelial cells as the cause of macular degeneration. Applications of interest therefore include the treatment of macular degeneration by enhancing TERT expression in these cells. Similarly, the senescence of ocular keratocytes correlates with the development of cataracts and is another target for compounds of the invention. Administration of TERT enhancing compounds of the invention to subjects suffering from this condition in accordance with methods of the invention, e.g., as described above, results in treatment of the subject for this condition.

Yet another disease condition in which the subject compounds find use is hepatic cirrhosis. Hepatic cirrhosis causes many deaths each year and has no effective treatment. Liver cells normally turn over slowly and have excellent regenerative characteristics. In cirrhosis, however, regeneration is insufficient and abnormal leading ultimately to liver failure. Relengthening telomeres in liver cells with compounds of the invention delays or prevents loss of liver function and failure. Administration of TERT enhancing compounds of the invention to subjects suffering from this condition in accordance with methods of the invention, e.g., as described above, results in treatment of the subject for this condition.

Yet another disease condition in which the subject compounds find use is Alzheimer's disease. Most current research on this degenerative disease of the brain focuses on amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Amyloid plaques are found outside the neurons, neurofibrillary plaques are found inside the neurons. Neuron cells do not divide at any significant rate so many people discount the role of telomere shortening in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. However, neurons depend on glial and microglial cells for support, and these cells do divide continually. Relengthening of glial telomeres addresses the underlying cause of neuronal damage, and provides a treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Administration of TERT enhancing compounds of the invention to subjects suffering from this condition in accordance with methods of the invention, e.g., as described above, results in treatment of the subject for this condition.

Additional disease conditions in which the subject methods find use are described in WO 99/35243, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.

The subject compounds also find use in skin rejuvenation. The skin is the first line of defense of the immune system and shows the most visible signs of aging (West, Arch Dermatol 130(1):87-95, 1994). As skin ages, it thins, develops wrinkles, discolors, and heals poorly. Skin cells divide quickly in response to stress and trauma; but, over time, there are fewer and fewer actively dividing skin cells. Compounding the loss of replicative capacity in aging skin is a corresponding loss of support tissues. The number of blood vessels in the skin decreases with age, reducing the nutrients that reach the skin. Also, aged immune cells less effectively fight infection. Nerve cells have fewer branches, slowing the response to pain and increasing the chance of trauma. In aged skin, there are also fewer fat cells, increasing susceptibility to cold and temperature changes. Old skin cells respond more slowly and less accurately to external signals. They produce less vitamin D, collagen, and elastin, allowing the extracellular matrix to deteriorate. As skin thins and loses pigment with age, more ultraviolet light penetrates and damages skin. To repair the increasing ultraviolet damage, skin cells need to divide to replace damaged cells, but aged skin cells have shorter telomeres and are less capable of dividing (Fossel, REVERSING HUMAN AGING. William Morrow & Company, New York City, 1996).

By practicing the subject methods, e.g., via administration of a compound of the invention topically, one can extend telomere length, and slow the downward spiral that skin experiences with age. Such a product not only helps protect a person against the impairments of aging skin; it also permits rejuvenated skin cells to restore youthful immune resistance and appearance. As such, compounds and methods of the invention may be employed to reduce the appearance of aging, e.g., by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles of the face and other locations of the body. The subject compounds and methods can be used for both medical and cosmetic skin rejuvenation applications.

The subject compounds also find use in treatment of wounds and acute or chronic skin conditions, by increasing telomerase activity, cell proliferation or migration at the treatment site, epithelialization of the surface, closure of a wound if present, or restoration of normal physiological function. The subject compounds also find use in increasing the density of epithelial cells at the treatment site as a result of the applied therapy. The subject compounds also find use increasing telomerase activity in cells surrounding a wound to enhance wound healing. The subject compounds and methods can be used for skin rejuvenation and wound treatment applications. A topical composition including a compound may be used for treatment of acute or chronic conditions of the epidermis or for wound treatment and healing, e.g., such as a lotion, cream, gel, ointment, stick, spray, or paste.

Compounds of the invention may be used for treating decubitus ulcers, sepsis, hypothermic stress, and other conditions of poor wound healing. Compounds could also be valuable in the production and use of skin grafts for severe burns and other conditions of traumatic skin loss.

The subject compounds also find use in protecting cells against the harmful effects of exposure to UV and γ-radiation. Telomere dysfunction is linked to impaired DNA repair and radiosensitvity, and as such activation of TERT may counter or protect against the harmful effects of radiation induced stress on skin cells. The subject compounds and methods can be used for skin protection applications. A topical composition including a compound may be used as a sunscreen e.g., a lotion, cream, gel, ointment, stick, spray, or past; and optionally include a UV absorbing compound, a moisturizer, and other common components of sunscreens.

The subject compounds also find use to induce the proliferation of hair follicles for growth of hair. Induction of TERT in skin epithelium causes a rapid transition from telogen, the resting phase of the hair follicle cycle, to anagen, the active phase, thereby facilitating robust hair growth. The subject compounds and methods can be used for hair rejuvenation applications. A topical or a nutraceutical composition including a compound may enhance hair growth, density or color, e.g., a shampoo, cream, hair gel, or hair spray.

In addition to the above-described uses, the subject compounds can also be used to extend the lifespan of a mammal. By extend the lifespan is meant to increase the time during which the animal is alive, where the increase is generally 1% or more, such as 5% or more and including 10% or more as compared to a control.

As indicated above, instead of a multicellular animal, the target may be a cell or population of cells which are treated according to the subject methods and then introduced into a multicellular organism for therapeutic effect. For example, the subject compounds may be employed in bone marrow transplants for the treatment of cancer and skin grafts for burn victims. In these cases, cells are isolated from a human donor and then cultured for transplantation back into human recipients. During the cell culturing, the cells normally age and senesce, decreasing their useful lifespans. Bone marrow cells, for instance, lose approximately 40% of their replicative capacity during culturing. This problem is aggravated when the cells are first genetically engineered (Decary, Mouly et al. Hum Gene Ther 7(11): 1347-50, 1996). In such cases, the therapeutic cells must be expanded from a single engineered cell. By the time there are sufficient cells for transplantation, the cells have undergone the equivalent of 50 years of aging (Decary, Mouly et al. Hum Gene Ther 8(12): 1429-38, 1997). Use of the subject compounds spares the replicative capacity of bone marrow cells and skin cells during culturing and expansion and thus significantly improves the survival and effectiveness of bone marrow and skin cell transplants. Any transplantation technology requiring cell culturing can benefit from the subject methods, including ex vivo gene therapy applications in which cells are cultured outside of the animal and then administered to the animal, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,068,837; 6,027,488; 5,824,655; 5,821,235; 5,770,580; 5,756,283; 5,665,350; the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.

The subject compounds also find use in countering the harmful effects of oxidative stress induced in the cells of newborn infants during the first 4 months of age. Newborns, and especially those delivered preterm, are more prone to oxidative stress than individuals later in life. Factors such as oxidative stress are modulators of telomere length. Telomere length has also been implicated as a modulating factor of genetic damage in newborns. Telomere dysfunction is linked to impaired DNA repair. As such, the subject compounds and methods can be used to protect against the harmful effects of oxidative stress. A composition (e.g. a topical or neutraceutical composition) including a compound may be used for treatment of oxidative stress injuries, e.g. a nutritional supplement for use in baby food or vitamin products, or a lotion, cream, shampoo, etc.

The subject compounds also find use in countering the effects of abnormal or diminished levels of TERT activity in spermatogonia cells, their progenitors or descendants. The subject compounds and methods can be used in fertility applications, for example, by reversing abnormal or diminished levels of TERT activity in spermatogonia cells. A composition including a compound may be used for the treatment of infertility or disorders of reproduction.

Research and Manufacturing Applications

TERT expression enhancing compounds of the invention may find use in a variety addition applications, include research and manufacturing applications. For example, TERT expression enhancing compounds find use in applications for increasing the proliferative capacity of cells grown in vitro (e.g., immortalizing cells). As such, compounds of the invention find use in expanding cells for a variety uses, including expanding cells for use in diagnostic assays, expanding cells for use in preparative protocols (e.g., expanding antibody-producing cells or cells expressing a protein/factor of interest), expanding cells to facilitate studying the cells themselves (e.g., expanding rare stem cells harvested from a subject). The primary method of producing monoclonal antibodies requires the creation of immortalized antibody producing cells, called hybridomas, made by fusing B-lymphocytes (which secrete antibodies) with immortal (cancerous) myeloma cells to extend their life span. The fusion process can take from 8 to 12 months and represents approximately 25% of the cost of production. A compound of the invention could be used to extend the life span of B-lymphocytes directly, reducing the production startup time to, for example, 2 to 3 months.

In addition, the compounds of the invention can be used to expand cells that will themselves be administered to a subject for experimental or therapeutic purposes, for example in expanding cells for genetic alteration (e.g., gene therapeutic purposes). As such, the compounds and methods of the invention are useful in any application in which an increase in cellular proliferation or a reduction in cellular senescence is advantageous.

The subject compounds also find use in countering the effects of premature aging of cloned animals. A cloned animal inherits its age from its cell donor, thus being born old and die early. The length of the telomeres is related to the ageing problems of clones. Early embryonic telomere elongation is telomerase dependent, such that activation may lead to a rejuvenation of telomeres in cloned bovine embryos. The subject compounds also find use in cloning applications and may be used in a composition for use in agricultural cloning, such as in cloning of a cow or a sheep.

Screening Applications

The screening methods, e.g., as described above, find use in a variety of applications, including identifying and/or testing candidate TERT expression enhancing compounds use in a wide range of research and therapeutic applications, such as pharmaceutical development, manufacturing, and quality assurance/control, as well as immortalization of cell lines and treating conditions in a subject characterized by cellular senescence. Applications of interest include use of the screening methods of the invention for performing research, as well as for pharmaceutical compliance related to GLP (“Good Laboratory Practice”) and GMP (“Good Manufacturing Practice” also referred to as “cGMP” or “current Good Manufacturing Practice”)) and laboratory services. Thus the screening methods of the invention find broad use in research and lead development, sample analysis, as well as assay development, validation, drug regulatory submissions and compliance for new drug substances and drug products, drug product release and compound auditing in general. By “compound auditing” is meant quality assurance and/or quality control of a compound.

Compound auditing in accordance with the subject screening methods may be exploited in multiple settings. One example is in assay development or simply to transfer an assay from one location to another, whether or not it requires GLP and/or GMP compliance. This aspect may include the use of the subject screening methods to ensure that a compound of interest performs consistently and provides continuity in an assay over time. Statistical data analysis and related relevant data analysis tools can be exploited to best match the compound and use of interest. For instance, the screening method can be performed under “research level” protocols to identify those parameters such as the limit of detection (LOD), the limit of quantitation (LOQ) and the linear range necessary for assay validation and/or transfer. As such, the screening methods find use in compiling and executing SOPs (“Standard Operating Procedure” or “Standard Operating Protocol”) which can be used for compound auditing.

Additional uses of the screening methods of the invention include the generation and/or execution one or more GLP or GMP protocols that assess one or more of linearity, accuracy, precision, specificity, robustness, ruggedness and system suitability for one or more compounds of interest for a given end use. Generation of such protocols may include assays for identifying as well as testing of a compound of interest, including QA and/or QC, as well as generating controls that may be aliquoted under GLP or GMP compliance which may be used over several years depending upon the stability of the compound of interest.

The subject screening methods may be used in qualitative and/or quantitative potency assays for routine lot release, lot comparisons, sampling, and stability assessment of a compound of interest.

The screening methods may also be used in a multiple assay approach (i.e., assay matrix), such as when it is desirable to develop or use more than a single assay (e.g., an assay matrix often finds use when there is limited knowledge of product and mechanism of action, the product has multiple components with multiple biological activities, time is constrained due to limited product stability, biological assay is not quantitative and the like). Thus the subject screening methods may find use in a combination of assays where the combined results constitute an acceptable product release and/or potency assay (e.g., a quantitative physical assay along with a qualitative bioassay).

Combination Therapy

Aspects of the invention further include combination therapies. By combination therapy is meant that a compound of the invention can be used in a combination with another therapeutic agent to treat a single disease or condition. In particular embodiments, a compound of the invention is administered concurrently with the administration of another therapeutic agent, which can be administered as a component of a composition including the compound of the invention or as a component of a different composition. In particular embodiments, a composition including a compound of the invention is administered prior or subsequent to administration of another therapeutic agent.

The compounds of the present invention can be administered in combination with other therapeutic agents in a variety of therapeutic applications. Therapeutic applications of interest for combination therapy include those applications in which reduced activity or expression of TERT (or shortened telomeres) is the cause or a compounding factor in disease progression. As such, the subject compounds find use in combination therapies in which the enhancement of TERT expression in the host is desired. Examples of disease conditions which may be treated by a combination therapy including a compound of the invention include, but are not limited to: cancer, progeria, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration, muscular dystrophy, dyskeratosis congenital, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Cri du Chat syndrome, down's syndrome, Fanconi's Anemia, tuberous sclerosis, Werner's syndrome, conditions related to cell and tissue transplants, liver cirrhosis, rheumatoid arthritis, immune senescence, skin rejuvenation, bone marrow disorders, anemia, leukemia, lymphoma, and AIDS. For example, combinations for anti-aging and AIDS therapy are discussed below.

Combinations for Anti-Aging Therapy

The compounds of the present invention can be administered in combination with other therapeutic agents as an anti-aging therapy.

Over time, cell membranes may be damaged by reactive oxygen species and other free radicals, resulting, for example, in cross-linkage or cleavage of proteins and lipoproteins, and oxidation of membrane lipids and lipoproteins. Damage to the cell membrane can result in myriad changes including loss of cell permeability, increased intercellular ionic concentration, and decreased cellular capacity to excrete or detoxify waste products. As the intercellular ionic concentration of potassium increases, colloid density increases and m-RNA and protein synthesis are hampered, resulting in decreased cellular repair. Some cells become so dehydrated they cannot function at all. In aging, the regularity of tissue structure is lost, and individual cells enlarge, but the total number of cells decreases approximately 30%.

To treat some effects of aging, for example as described above, compounds of the invention can be used in combination with an antioxidant. Examples of antioxidants include vitamin E, vitamin C, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, resveratrol, lipoic acid, carnosine, sulforaphane, and pioglitazone.

Other compounds that have anti-aging effects and can be used in combination with compounds of the invention include (−)deprenyl (selegeline), 6-furfurylamino purine (kinetin), and 6-benzylamino purine (BAP). (−)Deprenyl (selegeline) can increase the formation of natural anti-oxidant enzymes SuperOxide Dismutase (SOD) and catalase. Cytokinins, such as 6-furfurylamino purine (kinetin) and 6-benzylamino purine (BAP), are known to be growth stimulators. Kinetin promotes cell division.

In some instances, compounds of the invention are administered in conjunction with resveratrol, or an alalog thereof. 3,4′,5-trihydroxystilbene commonly known as resveratrol is found in grapes. Resveratrol is found to exihibit antioxidative and antimutagenic properties. Resveratrol is also an inducer of phase II drug metabolizing enzymes. In humans, resveratrol consumption is found to inhibit peroxidation of plasma low density lipoprotein and this effect has been proposed to protect against the development of atherosclerosis. The above referenced bioprotective properties of resveratrol are attributed to the presence of phenolic groups in its structure. Also of interest are resveratrol analogs, such as those describe din U.S. Pat. No. 7,026,518; the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.

Combinations for AIDS Therapy

The compounds of the present invention can be administered jointly with other therapeutics in order to enhance antiviral efficacy. The present compounds can be administered with antiviral agents, including (but not limited to) agents acting on any suitable target in the virus replication process, such as reverse transcriptase inhibitors, viral protease inhibitors and glycosylation inhibitors, etc; antiviral agents acting on different targets all through the virus spreading process; antiviral agents acting on different sites of the same molecule; and antiviral agents capable of preventing or reducing the development of the drug resistance.

In certain embodiments, compounds of the invention can be administered jointly with retrovirus inhibitors, including (but not limited to) nucleoside analogs. The nucleoside derivatives, in the absence of any 3′-substituent that can be bound to other nucleosides, can suppress the synthesis of cDNA catalyzed by reverse transcriptase and thereby terminate the viral DNA replication. This is why they become anti-HIV therapeutic agents. For example, AZT and ddT, both of them can suppress HIV-1 replication in vivo and in vitro, had been approved as remedies for HIV infection and AIDS.

The present compounds can be administered jointly with nucleoside derivatives and non-nucleoside derivatives. The nucleoside derivatives include (but not limited to): 2′,3′-dideoxyadenosine (ddA); 2′,3′-diseoxyguanosine (ddG); 2′,3′-dideoxyinosine (ddI); 2′,3′-dideoxycytidine (ddC); 2′,3′-dideoxythymidine (ddT); 2′,3′-dideoxy-dideoxythymidine (d4T) and 3′-azide2′,3′-dideoxycytidine (AZT). According to an embodiment of the present invention, the nucleoside derivatives are halonucleoside, preferably 2′ 3′-dideoxy-2′-fluoronuceotides, including (but not limited to): 2′,3′-dideoxy-2′-fluoroadenosine; 2′,3′-dideoxy-2′-fluoroinosine; 2′,3′-dideoxy-2′-fluorothymidine; 2′,3′-dideoxy-2′-fluorocytidine; and 2′,3′-dideoxy-2′,3′-didehydro-2′-fluoronuceotides, including (but not limited to): 2′,3′-dideoxy-2′,3′-didehydro-2′fluorothymidine (Fd4T).

The present compounds can also be administered jointly with inhibitors of uridine phosphorylating enzyme, including (but not limited to) acyclouridine compounds, including benzylacyclouridine (BAU); benzoxybenzylacyclouridine (BBAU); amethobenzylacyclouridine (AMBAU); amethobenzoxybenzylacyclouridine (AMB-BAU); hydroxymethylbenzylacyclouridine (HMBAU); and hydroxymethylbenzoxybenzylacyclouridine (HMBBAU).

The present compounds can also be administered jointly with cytokines or cytokine inhibitors, including (but not limited to): rIFNα, rIFNβ, and rIFNγ, TNFα inhibitors, MNX-160, human r interferon αA, human r interferonβ, and human r interferonγ.

Protease inhibitors prevent the virus from maturing mainly during the viral assembly period or after the assembly period (namely during the viral budding). Protease inhibitors show an antiviral activity both in vivo and in vitro. After being administered protease inhibitors, the AIDS patient HIV-level exhibits an exponential decline and their CD4 lymphocytes rise in number (Deeks, et al., 1997, JAMA 277:145-53). Aspects of the present invention provide for administration of the present compounds together with a protease inhibitor, the latter including (but not limited to): Indinavir, Invirase, Norvir, Viracept, and Agenerase.

The present compounds can also be used jointly with anti-HIV drugs that disturb 5′-mRNA processing, such as virazole. The acting mechanism of virazole is unknown yet and presumed to be competing with guanine in forming the mRNA capping structure, and/or disturbing the methylation of these molecules.

In addition, the present compounds can be administered jointly with amphotericin B. Amphotericin B is a polyene antifungal antibiotic that can bind irreversibly with sterol. Amphotericin B and its formate have an inhibiting effect against many lipid envelop viruses including HIV.

The present compounds can also be administered jointly with the glycoprotein processing inhibitor castanospermine, which is a vegetable alkaloid capable of inhibiting glycol protein processing. HIV envelope contains two large glycoproteins gp120 and gp41. The glycosylation of proteins plays an important role in the interactions between gp120 and CD4. The progeny virus synthesized in the presence of castanospermine has a weaker infectivity than the parental virus.

Drug combinations of interest include the present compounds, and at least one of other antiviral agents, such as reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, mRNA processing inhibitors, protein glycosylation inhibitors, virus adsorbent, CD4 receptor inhibitors, chemokine co-receptor inhibitors, neutralizing antibody, integrase inhibitors, and other fusion inhibitors, including (but not limited to) nucleoside analogs or chain terminators; chemokine co-receptor inhibitors AMD-3100 (Tremblay, C. L. et al., 2000, J. AIDS 1:25(2)99-10).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, therapeutic agents that can be used jointly with the present compounds include (but not limited to): 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2dG1c), deoxynojirimycinacycloguanosine, virazole, rifadin, adamantanamine, rifabutine, ganciclover (DHPG), famciclove, buciclover (DHBG), fluoroiodoaracytosine, iodoxuridine, trifluorothymidine, ara-A, ara-AMP, bromovinyldeoxyuridine, BV-arau, 1-b-D-glycoarabinofuranoside-E-5-[2-bromovinyl]uracil, adamantethylamine, hydroxyurea, phenylacetic heptanedione, diarylamidine, (S)-(ρ-nitrobenzyl)-6-thioinosine and phosphonoformate.

Systems and Kits

Also provided are systems and kits that include compounds of the invention. Systems of the invention are collections of active agents brought together, e.g., by a health care practitioner, for administration to a subject, such as a patient. Such systems may include TERT expression enhancing compound of the invention and one or more additional active agents. Kits that include TERT expression enhancing compounds of the invention are also provided. Kits of the invention may include one or more dosages of a TERT expression enhancing compound, and optionally one or more dosages of one or more additional active agents. Conveniently, the formulations may be provided in a unit dosage format. In such kits, in addition to the containers containing the formulation(s), e.g. unit doses, is an informational package insert describing the use of the subject formulations in the methods of the invention, e.g., instructions for using the subject unit doses to treat cellular proliferative disease conditions.

These instructions may be present in the subject systems and kits in a variety of forms, one or more of which may be present in the kit. One form in which these instructions may be present is as printed information on a suitable medium or substrate, e.g., a piece or pieces of paper on which the information is printed, in the packaging of the kit, in a package insert, etc. Yet another means would be a computer readable medium, e.g., diskette, CD, etc., on which the information has been recorded. Yet another means that may be present is a website address which may be used via the internet to access the information at a removed site. Any convenient means may be present in the kits.

The following examples are offered by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

EXPERIMENTAL

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex composed of the catalytic protein subunit (human telomerase reverse transcriptase or hTERT) and the RNA template. hTERT expression level can be measured by PCR.

Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR

Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR can be run according to procedures outlined in Yajima et al. (Yajima, T. et al. Quantitative Reverse Transcription-PCR Assay of the RNA Component of Human Telomerase Using the TaqMan Fluorogenic Detection System Clinical Chemistry, 44:12, 2441-2445, 1998).

Real-Time PCR.

The principle of real-time PCR was first described by Heid et al. (Heid C. A., Stevens J., Livak K. J., Williams P. M. Real time quantitative PCR. Genome Res., 6: 986-994, 1996). Briefly, amplification of the target sequence is monitored per PCR cycle by detecting the fluorescence signal emitted by an internal probe that is degraded by the 5′ nuclease activity of the Taq polymerase. The emission signal accumulates in each sample, and the C_(t) required to reach a given fluorescence threshold is determined (C_(t) Stands for Cycle Threshold and is a measure of the number of PCR cycles that are required to amplify a target—thus, a lower C_(t) score means that there is more abundant hTERT mRNA). Thus, the C_(t) value of a sample inversely correlates to the quantity of the starting cDNA which correlates to the number of mRNA transcripts. Using the cDNA of known quantity, a standard curve can be generated and used to determine the starting amount of mRNA transcripts based on the C_(t) value of each sample.

Quantitative real-time PCR can be done on cDNA from test compound-treated and nontreated cells by use of a ABI Prism 7900 Sequence Detection System (PE Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) following the Assays-on-Demand protocol (PE Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.). Quantitative data can be analyzed using the Sequence Detection System software version 2.1 (PE Applied Biosystems).

Cell Viability Assay

Cell viability is determined using a homogeneous method, such as CellTiter-Glo® Luminescent Cell Viability Assay (Promega Corporation, Madison, Wis.) to determine the number of viable cells in culture These assays are based on quantitation of the ATP present, which signals the presence of metabolically active cells. Luminescent values of compound treated cells are compared to that of cells treated with vehicle alone to determine the average cell viability as a percent of control.

The following compounds were tested in assays designed to identify compounds that enhance human TERT expression. The compounds turned on human TERT expression in these assays.

TABLE 2 Results of assays Average Cell Number Cell Viability Average of hTERT Viability after 24 Com- Number Transcripts after 24 Hours pound of hTERT Standard Hours (% Standard # Transcripts Deviation DMSO) Deviation 1001 12.47 11.42 44.55 1.71 1002 14.79 12.6 57.7 3.79 1003 10.05 8.45 73.53 1.15 1004 12.11 11.82 54.71 4.6 1005 55.17 37.1 64.8 2.81 1006 25.82 25.11 69.78 2.5 1007 18.02 7.88 68 1.53 1008 43.18 16.58 67.58 4.73 1009 50.29 26.34 68.59 2.23 1010 35.7 14.3 86.63 9.62 1011 14.2 12.27 64.5 5.64 1012 12.01 10.39 60.73 7 1013 40.42 29.9 74.96 7.68 1014 11.55 15.6 28.33 6.32 1015 63.93 21.41 74.68 4.45 1016 10.9 10.21 42.84 6.09 1017 96.98 36.78 75.48 7.4 1018 105.41 58.8 56.9 5.97 1019 271.75 69.45 35.74 1.84 1020 45.03 30.62 25.1 17.34 1021 60.68 59.27 Not Tested Not Tested 1022 60.01 18.19 63.83 2.04 1023 160.65 46.8 75.33 5.22 1024 165.68 142.55 95.15 2.55 1025 113.98 31.6 93.5 4.31 1026 11.55 3.83 52.03 4.58 1027 19.72 6.85 62.71 2.92 1028 65.66 28.84 80.69 3.03 1029 5.3 6.13 32 6.32 1030 26.47 21.32 73.78 5.85 1031 44.8 37.6 76.88 10.27 1032 39.96 16.25 75.67 6.49 1033 28.91 16.07 84.43 7.43 1034 44.71 24.55 83.39 9.68 1035 66.72 49.05 62.45 2.36 1036 65 27.21 73.28 8.26 1037 55.41 20.76 67.96 3.61 1038 28.95 11.94 80.33 7.47 1039 30.9 7.64 72.76 9.79 1040 25.16 17.82 61.11 7.11 1041 20.78 10.69 72.82 14.19 1042 10.53 12.7 55.51 5.51 1043 15.13 11.14 47.47 11.07 1044 92.93 47.32 85.35 6.65 1045 13.86 8.06 60.3 4.1 1046 158.46 22.17 78 4.74 1047 43.89 13.2 69.78 4.31 1048 58.04 31.74 70.37 3.55 1049 49.12 23.61 65.63 4.08 1050 47.68 23.93 62.77 2.65 1051 45.24 36.17 65.27 2.75 1052 12.07 11 60.8 2.04 1053 47.54 25.67 59.77 3.58 1054 8.59 2.47 46.45 4.58 1055 28.89 24.73 57.43 3.41 1056 62.15 24.86 65.75 5.76 1057 12.42 11.58 50.02 5.23 1058 47.99 19.95 69.11 4.26 1059 26.79 21.38 53.52 1.33 1060 65.91 37.44 63.44 2.44 1061 128.91 76.19 62.27 6.57 1062 47.98 14.52 60.77 10 1063 205.2 73.14 85.12 9.17 1064 52.74 27.36 67.37 7.01 1065 24.47 21.02 61.72 5.27 1066 43.68 26.51 72.46 4.79 1067 16.2 11.84 49.62 6.88 1068 21.41 20.36 61.2 2.24 1069 101.8 27.98 80.34 8.85 1070 68.65 52.81 69.71 3.89 1071 70.74 43.22 81.62 6.95 1072 93.44 12.76 78.35 6.09 1073 103.42 26.48 80.1 3.19 1074 49.89 29.98 75.55 13.7 1075 83.26 34.81 82.63 4.53 1076 61.45 26.99 62.85 5.85 1077 15.88 12.1 38.99 11.8 1078 36.96 7.43 67.66 6.48 1079 98.36 38.69 71.22 3.48 1080 26.36 18.61 72.44 9.94 1081 18.87 11.18 70.69 5.65 1082 7.54 5.75 56.92 13.57 1083 18.44 23.08 74.39 11.63 1084 11.54 11.11 65.08 10.69 1085 59.41 41.3 61.83 2.17 1086 48.77 38.78 56.53 2.95 1087 240.41 68.79 72.33 2.58 1088 191.81 64.36 55.87 4.02 1089 38.29 10.92 89.98 4.09 1090 29.08 31.41 27.89 2.35 1091 91.89 13.87 94.3 16.44 1092 96.33 50.83 66.43 6.22 1093 160.48 43.93 66.5 3.87 1094 32.08 37.61 56.64 3.37 1095 3.46 4.1 56.93 3.68 1096 48.25 56.62 67.13 5.68 1097 77.36 82.4 78.08 4.2 1098 102.7 58.19 68.58 2.48 1099 67.59 51.68 64.22 1.72 1100 9.12 10.95 56.1 2.68 1101 24.8 29.27 76.69 2.94 1102 351.44 311.36 68.56 4.06 1103 70.5 61.2 58.35 4.8 1104 19.27 24.19 71.14 0.98 1105 51.56 40.5 58.63 9.94 1106 19.46 10.04 86.95 11.74 1107 7.97 6.04 62.26 4.98 1108 31.13 15.64 76.49 5.74 1109 34.36 11.36 72.44 6.90 1110 35.19 16.57 68.20 6.47 1111 35.20 40.84 79.43 4.74 1112 58.99 14.91 78.30 4.17 1113 29.15 7.78 80.49 5.18

Although the particular embodiments have been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is readily apparent in light of the teachings of this invention that certain changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims.

Accordingly, the preceding merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Various arrangements may be devised which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples and conditional language recited herein are principally intended to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventors to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents and equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure. The scope of the present invention, therefore, is not intended to be limited to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein. Rather, the scope and spirit of present invention is embodied by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for enhancing telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression in a cell, the method comprising: contacting the cell with a TERT expression enhancing effective amount of a compound of the structure of formula (II):

wherein R¹ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹ where 8¹⁰¹ is a sugar; and R², R³, R⁴, R⁵, R⁶ and R⁷ are independently selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy, an amino, a carboxyamide, a carboxy, an acyl, an alkoxycarbonyl, an aminocarbonyl, a cyano, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a nitro, a thio, an aminosulfonyl, an alkylsulfonyl, an arylsulphonyl and —SO₃H wherein R¹ and R², R⁶ and R⁷ or R³ and R⁴ are cyclically linked.
 2. A method for enhancing telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression in a cell, the method comprising: contacting the cell with a TERT expression enhancing effective amount of a compound of the structure of formula (II):

wherein: R¹ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar or a sugar derivative; R⁵ and R⁶ are hydrogen; R² is selected from a lower alkyl, an acetylamino, an aminoalkyl, —NH₂, —CONH₂, —CO₂H, —SO₃H, cyano, tert-butyl, a heterocyclylalkylaminocarbonyl, a heterocyclylaminocarbonyl, a heterocyclylamino, an arylaminocarbonyl, an imidazolyl, a hydrazone, an oxime, a phenyl, a pyridyl, a pyrazolyl and a triazolyl; R³ is selected from an aryl, a halogen and an amino; R⁴ is selected from (5H-furan-2-onyl)-ethyl, an acetylamino, an arylsulfonylamino, a benzyloxymethylene, bromo, chloro, fluoro, iodo, a lower alkoxy, a lower alkylamino, a lower-alkoxymethylene, a methyl, a N,N-(di-lower alkyl)aminomethylene, —NH₂, nitro, a N-phenyl-piperidinyl-methylene, a phenyl, a pyridyl and —SO₃H; and R⁷ is selected from acetylamino, an arylamino, a heteroarylamino, acetyl, an aminomethylene, —NH₂, an alkylaminomethylene, a dialkylaminomethylene, a carboxyamide, carboxy, cyano, a formaldehyde oxime or O-methyl oxime, a methyl, a phenyl, a pyrazolyl, an imidazolyl, a pyridinyl, a triazolyl, a N-(heteroarylmethylene)aminocarbonyl, a N,N-di(heteroarylalkyl)aminocarbonyl, a N-(heteroarylethylene)aminocarbonyl, an alkylaminosulfonyl, tert-butyl, a phenylaminocarbonyl and a heteroarylaminocarbonyl.
 3. A method for enhancing telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression in a cell, the method comprising: contacting the cell with a TERT expression enhancing effective amount of a compound of the structure of formula (II):

wherein: R¹ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar or a sugar derivative; R³ and R⁶ are hydrogen; R² is selected from a lower alkyl, an acetylamino, an aminoalkyl, —NH₂, —CONH₂, —CO₂H, —SO₃H, cyano, tert-butyl, a heterocyclylalkylaminocarbonyl, a heterocyclylaminocarbonyl, a heterocyclylamino, an arylaminocarbonyl, an imidazolyl, a hydrazone, an oxime, a phenyl, a pyridyl, a pyrazolyl and a triazolyl; R⁴ is selected from (5H-furan-2-onyl)-ethyl, an acetylamino, an arylsulfonylamino, a benzyloxymethylene, bromo, chloro, fluoro, iodo, a lower alkoxy, a lower alkylamino, a lower-alkoxymethylene, a methyl, a N,N-(di-lower alkyl)aminomethylene, —NH₂, nitro, a N-phenyl-piperidinyl-methylene, a phenyl, a pyridyl and —SO₃H; R⁵ is selected from a hydroxyl and an aryl; and R⁷ is selected from acetylamino, an arylamino, a heteroarylamino, acetyl, an aminomethylene, —NH₂, an alkylaminomethylene, a dialkylaminomethylene, a carboxyamide, carboxy, cyano, a formaldehyde oxime or O-methyl oxime, a methyl, a phenyl, a pyrazolyl, an imidazolyl, a pyridinyl, a triazolyl, a N-(heteroarylmethylene)aminocarbonyl, a N,N-di(heteroarylalkyl)aminocarbonyl, a N-(heteroarylethylene)aminocarbonyl, an alkylaminosulfonyl, tert-butyl, a phenylaminocarbonyl and a heteroarylaminocarbonyl.
 4. A method for enhancing telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression in a cell, the method comprising: contacting the cell with a TERT expression enhancing effective amount of a compound of the structure of formula (II):

wherein R¹ is selected from hydroxyl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy and OR¹⁰¹, where R¹⁰¹ is a sugar; and R², R³, R⁴, R⁵, R⁶ and R⁷ are independently selected from hydrogen, an aliphatic, an aryl, an alkoxy, an aryloxy, an acyloxy, an amino, a carboxyamide, a carboxy, an acyl, an alkoxycarbonyl, an aminocarbonyl,, a cyano, a halogen, a heterocycle, a hydroxyl, a nitro, a thio, an aminosulfonyl, an alkylsulfonyl, an arylsulphonyl and —SO₃H wherein optionally R¹ and R², R⁶ and R⁷ or R³ and R⁴ are cyclically linked, further comprising determining whether the compound inhibits binding of a transcriptional repressor protein/protein complex to a Site C binding site of TERT expression in the cell. 